System and method for converting adaptive stream to downloadable media

ABSTRACT

A system for converting an adaptive media stream to downloadable media includes at least one network interface, at least one memory, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to receive, from a requesting device, a request for converting at least a portion of a media stream into a downloadable multimedia container, initialize a plurality of worker threads, retrieve, via one of the plurality of worker threads, a segment of the media stream from a storage location, concatenate, via the one of the plurality of worker threads, the retrieved segment into a multimedia container, determine that each segment of the media stream associated with the at least a portion of the media stream is included in the multimedia container, and transmit, via the at least one network interface, the multimedia container to the requesting device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 17/844,696, filed Jun. 20, 2022, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING ADAPTIVE STREAM TO DOWNLOADABLE MEDIA, which is a Continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 17/206,250, filed Mar. 19, 2021, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING ADAPTIVE STREAM TO DOWNLOADABLE MEDIA, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,412,272 on Aug. 9, 2022, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 17/198,307, filed Mar. 11, 2021, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSCODING MEDIA STREAM. U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 17/198,307 is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 16/710,660, filed Dec. 11, 2019, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSCODING MEDIA STREAM, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,951,925 on Mar. 16, 2021. U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 16/710,660 is a Continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 16/017,474, filed Jun. 25, 2018, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSCODING MEDIA STREAM, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,511,864 on Dec. 17, 2019. U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 16/017,474 is Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 15/944,312, filed on Apr. 3, 2018, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASYNCHRONOUS UPLOADING OF LIVE DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA WITH GUARANTEED DELIVERY, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,327,013 on Jun. 18, 2019. U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 15/944,312 is a Continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 15/462,816, filed on Mar. 18, 2017, which issued on Apr. 3, 2018, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,936,228, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASYNCHRONOUS UPLOADING OF LIVE DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA WITH GUARANTEED DELIVERY. U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 15/462,816 is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 15/252,368, filed on Aug. 31, 2016, which issued on Mar. 21, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,602,846, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASYNCHRONOUS UPLOADING OF LIVE DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA WITH GUARANTEED DELIVERY. U.S. Pat. Application Ser. Nos. 16/710,660, 16/017,474, 15/944,312, 15/462,816 and 15/252,368, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,511,864, 10,327,013, 9,602,846 and 9,936,228, are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to transcoding media for streaming, and more specifically to a system and method for converting an adaptive stream to downloadable media.

BACKGROUND

Streaming live digital multimedia may result in a lower quality playback experience for end users because any issue with the upload process (from encoder to media server) may result in missing, incomplete, or degraded content. This defective content is then transmitted to end users in the same defective state, even when using a distribution network. This issue may be accepted by some end users because those end users might prefer to view the content as close to realtime as possible. However, some end users prefer for the content to be high quality and gapless upon viewing, and will therefore accept a higher latency (time delay) when viewing the live content. In addition, adaptive bitrate streaming allows for end users to receive content according to their available bandwidth.

SUMMARY

In one aspect thereof, a system for transcoding a media stream is provided. The system includes at least one network interface, at least one memory, and at least one processor each coupled to one or more of the at least one network interface and one or more of the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to initialize one or more manifest processors, initialize a plurality of transcode worker threads, publish, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in a transcode request queue, wherein the transcode request includes one or more transcode request parameters, wherein the messaging bus and the transcode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and wherein the messaging service provides communications distributed over the messaging bus across the system. The at least one processor is further configured to retrieve by a manifest processor the transcode request from the transcode request queue, publish, by the manifest processor via the messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcode request queue, wherein the segment transcode request queue is provided by the messaging service, retrieve the segment transcode request by a first transcode worker thread, wherein each one of the plurality of transcode worker threads are configured to monitor the segment transcode request queue or independently perform transcoding operations on segments, transcode by a second transcode worker thread a segment referenced by the segment transcode request in accordance with the one or more transcode request parameters, determine by the manifest processor whether the transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, return, via the messaging bus, the segment transcode request to the segment transcode request queue, and transcode the segment by a third transcode worker thread, and store the transcoded segment.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to retrieve a manifest referenced by the transcode request, and parse the manifest by the manifest processor to locate the segment and include a location of the segment in the segment transcode request.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to publish, by the second or third transcode worker thread via the messaging bus, a segment transcode notification in a segment transcode notification queue, wherein the segment transcode notification indicates a successful transcode of the segment, and wherein the segment transcode notification queue is provided by the messaging service, and merge the segment transcode notification with any other segment transcode notifications in the segment transcode notification queue.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to start a time interval, retrieve by the manifest processor the segment transcode notification or a merged notification from the segment transcode notification queue, in response to an expiration of the time interval, and create by the manifest processor a new manifest including information related to the transcoded segment and other segments referenced by the merged notification.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to assign a unique identifier (UID) to a media stream, wherein the manifest and the segment are associated with the media stream, and reference the UID in the transcode request, the segment transcode request, and the segment transcode notification.

In another embodiment, when determining by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, the at least one processor is further configured to place the segment transcode request in a transcode reattempt queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is a separate queue from the segment transcode request queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is provided by the messaging service, and wherein available transcode worker threads monitor the transcode reattempt queue in order to retrieve requests from the transcode reattempt queue and transcode segments referenced by segment transcode requests in the transcode reattempt queue.

In another embodiment, the one or more transcode request parameters include at least one of a resolution parameter, wherein the resolution parameter indicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment, a bitrate parameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate to assign to the segment, a cropping parameter, wherein the cropping parameter indicates that images in the segment are to be cropped, a resizing parameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that a length of the segment is to be altered, or a codec parameter, wherein the codec parameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to a different codec.

In another aspect thereof, a method for transcoding a media stream is provided. The method includes initializing one or more manifest processors, initializing a plurality of transcode worker threads, publishing, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in a transcode request queue, wherein the transcode request includes one or more transcode request parameters, and wherein the messaging bus and the transcode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and wherein the messaging service provides communications distributed over the messaging bus, retrieving by a manifest processor the transcode request from the transcode request queue, publishing, by the manifest processor via the messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcode request queue, wherein the segment transcode request queue is provided by the messaging service, retrieving the segment transcode request by a first transcode worker thread, wherein each one of the plurality of transcode worker threads are configured to monitor the segment transcode request queue or independently perform transcoding operations on segments, transcoding by a second transcode worker thread a segment referenced by the segment transcode request in accordance with the one or more transcode request parameters, determine by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, returning, via the messaging bus, the segment transcode request to the segment transcode request queue, and transcoding the segment by a third transcode worker thread, and storing the transcoded segment.

In one embodiment, the method further includes retrieving a manifest referenced by the transcode request, and parsing the manifest by the manifest processor to locate the segment and include a location of the segment in the segment transcode request.

In another embodiment, the method further includes publishing, by the second or third transcode worker thread via the messaging bus, a segment transcode notification in a segment transcode notification queue, wherein the segment transcode notification indicates a successful transcode of the segment, and wherein the segment transcode notification queue is provided by the messaging service, and merging the segment transcode notification with any other segment transcode notifications in the segment transcode notification queue.

In another embodiment, the method further includes starting a time interval, retrieving by the manifest processor the segment transcode notification or a merged notification from the segment transcode notification queue, in response to an expiration of the time interval, and creating by the manifest processor a new manifest including information related to the transcoded segment and other segments referenced by the merged notification.

In another embodiment, the method further includes assigning a unique identifier (UID) to a media stream, wherein the manifest and the segment are associated with the media stream, and referencing the UID in the transcode request, the segment transcode request, and the segment transcode notification.

In another embodiment, the method further includes when determining by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, placing the segment transcode request in a transcode reattempt queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is a separate queue from the segment transcode request queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is provided by the messaging service, and wherein available transcode worker threads monitor the transcode reattempt queue in order to retrieve requests from the transcode reattempt queue and transcode segments referenced by segment transcode requests in the transcode reattempt queue.

In another embodiment, the method further includes the one or more transcode request parameters include at least one of a resolution parameter, wherein the resolution parameter indicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment, a bitrate parameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate to assign to the segment, a cropping parameter, wherein the cropping parameter indicates that images in the segment are to be cropped, a resizing parameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that a length of the segment is to be altered, or a codec parameter, wherein the codec parameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to a different codec.

In another aspect thereof, a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for operating a system including at least one network interface, at least one memory, and at least one processor is provided. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to initialize one or more manifest processors, initialize a plurality of transcode worker threads, publish, via a messaging bus, a transcode request in a transcode request queue, wherein the transcode request includes one or more transcode request parameters, wherein the messaging bus and the transcode request queue are provided by a messaging service, and wherein the messaging service provides communications distributed over the messaging bus across the system, retrieve by a manifest processor the transcode request from the transcode request queue, publish, by the manifest processor via the messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcode request queue, wherein the segment transcode request queue is provided by the messaging service, retrieve the segment transcode request by a first transcode worker thread, wherein each one of the plurality of transcode worker threads are configured to monitor the segment transcode request queue or independently perform transcoding operations on segments, transcode by a second transcode worker thread a segment referenced by the segment transcode request in accordance with the one or more transcode request parameters, determine by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, return, via the messaging bus, the segment transcode request to the segment transcode request queue, and transcode the segment by a third transcode worker thread, and store the transcoded segment.

In one embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to retrieve a manifest referenced by the transcode request, and parse the manifest by the manifest processor to locate the segment and include a location of the segment in the segment transcode request.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to publish, by the second or third transcode worker thread via the messaging bus, a segment transcode notification in a segment transcode notification queue, wherein the segment transcode notification indicates a successful transcode of the segment, and wherein the segment transcode notification queue is provided by the messaging service, and merge the segment transcode notification with any other segment transcode notifications in the segment transcode notification queue.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to start a time interval, retrieve by the manifest processor the segment transcode notification or a merged notification from the segment transcode notification queue, in response to an expiration of the time interval, and create by the manifest processor a new manifest including information related to the transcoded segment and other segments referenced by the merged notification.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to assign a unique identifier (UID) to a media stream, wherein the manifest and the segment are associated with the media stream, and reference the UID in the transcode request, the segment transcode request, and the segment transcode notification.

In another embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to, when determining by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, place the segment transcode request in a transcode reattempt queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is a separate queue from the segment transcode request queue, wherein the transcode reattempt queue is provided by the messaging service, and wherein available transcode worker threads monitor the transcode reattempt queue in order to retrieve requests from the transcode reattempt queue and transcode segments referenced by segment transcode requests in the transcode reattempt queue.

In another aspect thereof, a system for converting an adaptive stream into downloadable media comprises at least one network interface, at least one memory, and at least one processor each coupled to one or more of the at least one network interface and one or more of the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to receive, from a requesting device, a request for converting at least a portion of a media stream into a downloadable multimedia container. The at least one processor is further configured to initialize a plurality of worker threads. The at least one processor is further configured to retrieve, via one of the plurality of worker threads, a segment of the media stream from a storage location. The at least one processor is further configured to concatenate, via the one of the plurality of worker threads, the retrieved segment into a multimedia container. The at least one processor is further configured to determine that each segment of the media stream associated with the at least a portion of the media stream is included in the multimedia container. The at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one network interface, the multimedia container to the requesting device.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to repeat the retrieving and the concatenating steps until each segment of the media stream associated with the at least a portion of the media stream is included in the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, the request includes one or more request parameters, and the at least one processor is further configured to apply the one or more request parameters to the retrieved segment.

In another embodiment, the one or more request parameters include at least one of a resolution parameter, wherein the resolution parameter indicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment, a bitrate parameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate to assign to the segment, a cropping parameter, wherein the cropping parameter indicates that images in the segment are to be cropped, a resizing parameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that a length of the segment is to be altered, and a codec parameter, wherein the codec parameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to a different codec.

In another embodiment, to retrieve the segment, the at least one processor is further to retrieve a video segment and an audio segment, wherein the video segment and the audio segment are associated by content included in the video segment and the audio segment, and combine the video segment and the audio segment to create the retrieved segment.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to create the multimedia container by combining video and audio metadata for the media stream, wherein concatenating the retrieved segment into the multimedia container includes combining the retrieved segment with the video and audio metadata, and write content seeking information to the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, to create the multimedia container, the at least one processor is further configured to edit one or more atoms included in the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to determine a first content segment and a last content segment for the at least a portion of the media stream based on sizes of content segments associated with the media stream, and concatenate the first content segment, the last content segment, and one or more intermediate content segments into the multimedia container, wherein the one or more intermediate content segments include content disposed between the first content segment and the last content segment with respect to a timing of the content.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that a next segment of the media stream is not stored in the storage location, detect an update to a manifest file, review the manifest file to determine that the next segment is stored in the storage location, retrieve, via one of the plurality of worker threads, the next segment of the media stream from the storage location, and concatenate, via the one of the plurality of worker threads, the retrieved next segment into the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that, during transmission of the multimedia container to the requesting device, a connection to the requesting device fails, cease the transmission of the multimedia container, upon a reestablishment of the connection to the requesting device, determine a next portion of the multimedia container not previously received by the requesting device based on sizes of content segments associated with the media stream, and transmit the next portion of the multimedia container to the requesting device.

In another aspect thereof, a method for converting an adaptivestream to downloadable media comprises receiving, from a requesting device, a request for converting at least a portion of a media stream into a downloadable multimedia container. The method further comprises initializing a plurality of worker threads. The method further comprises retrieving, via one of the plurality of worker threads, a segment of the media stream from a storage location. The method further comprises concatenating, via the one of the plurality of worker threads, the retrieved segment into a multimedia container. The method further comprises determining that each segment of the media stream associated with the at least a portion of the media stream is included in the multimedia container. The method further comprises transmitting the multimedia container to the requesting device.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises repeating the retrieving and the concatenating steps until each segment of the media stream associated with the at least a portion of the media stream is included in the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, the request includes one or more request parameters, and the method further comprises applying the one or more request parameters to the retrieved segment.

In another embodiment, the one or more request parameters include at least one of a resolution parameter, wherein the resolution parameter indicates a resolution at which to transcode the segment, a bitrate parameter, wherein the bitrate parameter indicates a bitrate to assign to the segment, a cropping parameter, wherein the cropping parameter indicates that images in the segment are to be cropped, a resizing parameter, wherein the resizing parameter indicates that a length of the segment is to be altered, and a codec parameter, wherein the codec parameter indicates that the segment is to be transcoded to a different codec.

In another embodiment, retrieving the segment includes retrieving a video segment and an audio segment, wherein the video segment and the audio segment are associated by content included in the video segment and the audio segment, and combining the video segment and the audio segment to create the retrieved segment.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises creating the multimedia container by combining video and audio metadata for the media stream, wherein concatenating the retrieved segment into the multimedia container includes combining the retrieved segment with the video and audio metadata, and writing content seeking information to the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, creating the multimedia container includes editing one or more atoms included in the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises determining a first content segment and a last content segment for the at least a portion of the media stream based on sizes of content segments associated with the media stream, and concatenating the first content segment, the last content segment, and one or more intermediate content segments into the multimedia container, wherein the one or more intermediate content segments include content disposed between the first content segment and the last content segment with respect to a timing of the content.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises determining that a next segment of the media stream is not stored in the storage location, detecting an update to a manifest file, reviewing the manifest file to determine that the next segment is stored in the storage location, retrieving, via one of the plurality of worker threads, the next segment of the media stream from the storage location, and concatenating, via the one of the plurality of worker threads, the retrieved next segment into the multimedia container.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises determining that, during transmission of the multimedia container to the requesting device, a connection to the requesting device fails, easing the transmission of the multimedia container, upon a reestablishment of the connection to the requesting device, determining a next portion of the multimedia container not previously received by the requesting device based on sizes of content segments associated with the media stream, and transmitting the next portion of the multimedia container to the requesting device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a digital content streaming system;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of an asynchronous queuing and upload system;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a video streaming process;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a file segmenting and queueing process;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of an upload worker thread process;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of another embodiment of an upload worker thread process;

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a digital content downloading and playback method;

FIG. 8A illustrates a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a combined dual stream video encoding and output system;

FIG. 8B illustrates another diagrammatic view of the system of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A illustrates a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of a combined dual stream video encoding and output system;

FIG. 9B illustrates another diagrammatic view of the system of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a combined dual stream video encoding and output method;

FIG. 11 illustrates a media stream transcoding system in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a transcoding request message sequence in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates media content stored on one or more servers that includes multiple adaptation sets and representations in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a transcoding process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of a transcode worker process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a segment transcode notification merging process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 illustrates an example content conversion system in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 illustrates a multimedia file conversion process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 illustrates a multimedia file conversion with parameters process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 20A-20D illustrate diagrammatic views of a multimedia file creation and conversion process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 illustrates a flowchart of a multimedia file creation and conversion process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 illustrates a content request process in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 23 illustrates a diagrammatic view of a device that may be used within the systems disclosed herein in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are used herein to designate like elements throughout, the various views and embodiments of a system and method for transcoding a media stream are illustrated and described, and other possible embodiments are described. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances the drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many possible applications and variations based on the following examples of possible embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated of a digital content streaming system 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 100 includes a capture site 102. The capture site 102 is a location at which digital content is to be captured, or recorded, and stored. The capture site 102 includes a capture device 104 connected to an encoder 106. In some embodiments, the capture device 104 can be a physical device for capturing video and audio that passes the captured video and audio to the encoder 106. For instance, the capture device 104 could be a video camera connected as a peripheral device to the encoder 106, a webcam contained within the encoder 106, a device on a network to capture video and audio and to transmit the video and audio to the encoder 106 over the network, or any other device capable of capturing video and audio, or other types of digital content. In other embodiments, the capture device 104 may not be a physical device, but rather a method for acquiring video by the encoder 106 such as software and network processes and functions, including, but not limited to, an ability of the encoder 106 to capture video of its associated display, such as recording its desktop, retrieving a video from a location on a network, and using technologies such as Network Device Interface (NDI). In embodiments using technologies similar to NDI, multimedia content is captured by a device on a network which the encoder 106 is also connected. The encoder 106 could receive this multimedia content over the network to encode or re-encode the content. Therefore, the capture device 104, in its various embodiments, is not limited to physical devices that allow for the capture of video and audio content, but also may include any other means for accessing content by the encoder 106, such as video content being already stored on the network and retrieved by the encoder 106.

The encoder 106 may be a custom built machine that allows for video to be received via a capture device, processed, and stored on a local drive connected to the machine. The encoder 106 may run an operating system capable of executing various programs. The encoder 106 also may, in some embodiments, operate as a web server similar in function to a server 108. In this way, the encoder 106 provides digital content to client applications running on equipment that is either on the local network of the encoder 106, or on outside networks. The encoder also can establish a connection with a server 108 over a network 110 for enhanced distribution capabilities.

The server 108 serves to store digital content uploaded to the server 108 by the encoder 106. The server 108 then streams the digital content to a plurality of decoders 112 connected to the server 108 over the network 110. The plurality of decoders 112 can be, or run on, any device capable of executing the decoder, including PCs, laptops, mobile devices, custom decoding machines, or other devices. Additionally, the decoder 112 can be a program stored and executed by a device or can be implemented in other ways, such as within a webpage accessed by a web browser. The server 108 may be a single server accessed over the Internet, or may be a distribution system containing multiple servers designed to meet the load demand of a large number of end users. This distribution system may be a content delivery network (CDN) provided by a third-party with the resources and capacity to meet the demand, such as those provided by Google, Amazon, and others.

The plurality of decoders 112 may run on devices having appropriate output ports for allowing a display to be connected thereto for viewing the digital content, such as VGA ports, composite video (RCA) ports, HD-SDI, HDMI ports, or any other ports capable of allowing a display to be connected to the decoders 112. Alternatively, the plurality of decoders 112 may also allow for viewing of the digital content on a display directly connected to the device on which the decode client 112 is running, such as laptops, mobile devices, or any other device having a display. The decoders 112 may be executed on a device running an operating system capable of executing various programs. The decoders 112 may be executed on custom built decoder boxes supplied to various partners of the capture site, on a PC running an operating system and capable of running the decoder, or any other device that allows for the decoder to be executed thereon.

The embodiments described herein disclose a system in which all segmenting of files is done at the encoder 106. The encoder 106 further stores all segmented files and the manifest files. Therefore, in some embodiments, the server 108 is used merely for providing the bandwidth required to meet the demand of end users. The encoder 106, or a server connected locally to the encoder 106, can function in place of the server 108 as a web server if needed. The server 108 does not perform any of the operations of segmenting files, but rather only stores segment files and manifest files for download by end users using the decoder 112.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , there is illustrated an asynchronous queuing and upload system 200 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The encoder 106 creates a queue of segment files 202. Segment files are typically files that are short segments of the digital content created from the source content to allow for faster uploading and downloading. The segment files are segmented based on particular lengths, such as four seconds, with each segment being of the same length. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other lengths may be used. Additionally, in some cases the last segment file for a particular item of digital content may be of a different length than the other segment files. For instance, if the segment files are designated as being four seconds each, and the source content is a total of 58 seconds in length, the segment files will have 15 segment files consisting of 14 four-second segments and one two-second segment as the last segment. The segment files in the queue may consist of audio files, video files, or any other type of digital content. Additionally, the queue also includes a manifest file. The manifest file contains information on all the segment files that includes information that allows for those segment files to be located on and downloaded from the server 108 or any other location they may be stored.

The system 200 further includes at least one upload worker thread 204. An upload worker thread 204 is a separate process or function that runs independently from any other threads and from other operations run by the encoder 106, such as receiving audio and video content, and encoding, segmenting, and adding to the queue 202 said content. One purpose of the upload worker threads 204 is to take files from the queue 202, with the first file in the queue 202 (first-in-first-out) being taken by the first worker thread 204 that is started. The upload worker thread 204 then attempts to upload the file to the server 108. Any number of worker threads 204 may be initiated, each taking a file from the queue 202, to allow for multiple files to be within the upload process at the same time. However, as each upload worker thread 204 operates independently from other operations of the encoder 106, the files are thus uploaded asynchronously from those other operations.

For example, the encoder 106 may continue to receive, encode, segment, and add video to the queue 202 while upload worker threads continue to take files from the queue 202 and upload them to the server 108. The upload worker threads will continue to work if needed if the other processes have stopped, and the other processes of recording, segmenting, storing, and queueing will continue even if the upload worker threads have stopped. The upload worker threads 204 also work asynchronously from each other, with each upload worker thread 204 finishing its task depending on how quickly that particular upload worker thread 204 accomplishes the task. Therefore, the upload worker threads 204 may finish uploading the files at different times. Once an upload worker thread 204 finishes its task, it is terminated and, if more files are still in the queue, another upload worker thread 204 is started to take and upload the next file in the queue.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the number of upload worker threads 204 may vary depending on the desired speed of uploading all files in the queue 202, and the amount of accepted overhead and use of system resources. For example, in some systems, only three upload worker threads 204 may be allowed to run, while other systems may allow for ten, for example, or any other number.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a video streaming process 300 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 302, the encoder 106 receives video from the capture device 104. At step 304, the encoder 106 creates and stores on a local drive connected to the encoder 106 segment files created from the captured video, as well as a manifest file. The segment files may be both video and audio files, with each segment being of a particular length, such as four seconds. Since the segment files are stored on a local drive, in some embodiments the encoder 106 may act as a web server to allow devices on the local network to access the content, or, in some embodiments, to allow for devices outside of the local network to access the content over the network 110.

At step 306, the encoder 106 places the segment files and the manifest file in a queue. At step 308, the segment files and manifest file are uploaded to a server in the manner described herein. At step 310, the plurality of decoders 112 retrieve the manifest file and the segment files from the server in the manner described herein. At step 312, the plurality of decoders 112 playback the downloaded content. It will be appreciated that the digital content provided by this process and the other processes disclosed herein may be other forms of digital content besides video, such as audio content, or other forms of digital content that can be provided in this manner.

Segment files may be encrypted and uploaded as encrypted files to the server 108. The segment files may then be decrypted once downloaded by a decoder 112 in order to play the files. Decryption keys may be created and uploaded, listed in the manifest file, and downloaded along with the segment files.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a file segmenting and queueing process 400 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 402, video and audio capture is started at the capture site 102. Video and audio capture may include recording an event with a video camera, retrieving video from a location on a network, receiving video signals using NDI technologies, or any other means for acquiring video and audio by the encoder 106. At step 404, the encoder 106 compresses the video and audio using a defined codec as the video and audio is received. For example, video may be compressed using H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP8, VP9 or other video codecs. The audio may be encoded using AAC, MP3, Vorbis, Opus, or other audio codecs. Encoded audio and video may be assembled in container bitstreams using MP4, FLV, WebM, ASF, or other methods depending on the streaming protocol to be used. At step 406, the encoder 106 creates and stores a manifest file. At step 408, the encoder 106 adds the manifest file to an upload queue. At step 410, the encoder 106 creates and stores a segment file of a particular length, such as four seconds. At step 412, the encoder 106 adds the segment file to an upload queue. At step 414, the encoder updates the manifest file to include information related to the segment file created in step 410. At step 416, the encoder 106 adds the updated manifest file to the upload queue.

At decision block 418, it is determined whether the segment file added to the queue at step 412 is the last segment file that needs to be created, i.e., the last segment file containing the last portion of the source digital content. This determination may be accomplished by determining whether more content is currently being received from the capture device 104. If the segment file added to the queue in step 412 is not the last segment file that needs to be created, the process 400 moves back to step 410 to create, store, and add to the queue a new segment file (steps 410 and 412) and to update and add to the queue the manifest file (steps 414 and 416). If at step 418 it is determined that the segment file added to the queue at step 412 is the last segment file that needs to be created, the process 400 ends at step 420.

While the upload queue is created to facilitate upload of all files, the files may also be permanently stored at the storage drive associated with the encoder 106. This ensures that a complete copy is saved, at least for a certain period of time or as defined by storage capacity, such as only allowing 12 hours of content to reside on the storage drive at a time, to ensure that no files are lost before a complete, high quality, copy of the content is uploaded and data integrity verified. Additionally, as noted herein, the encoder 106 may act as a web server to provide the stored files to local or remote end users.

It will be understood that creation of the manifest file, creation of the segment files, and eventual streaming of the content to end users is accomplished using particular streaming libraries and protocols. Such streaming libraries may include FFmpeg, Libav, MPlayer, AviSynth, or others. Such streaming protocols may include Flash, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), or other streaming protocols.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , there is illustrated a flowchart of an upload worker thread process 500 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 502, the encoding process starts. At step 504, an upload worker thread is initiated. At step 506, the upload worker thread takes the first file in the queue out of the queue. This may be done with a command such as file f = queue.take(), or any other command that accomplishes this task. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that step 506 may come before step 504. For instance, a program running on the encoder 106 may take the first file out of the queue using a command such as file f = queue.take() (step 506), assign the file to a variable, and then pass the variable to a upload worker thread function, by a command such as upload(f), where upload() is an upload worker thread function call, thus creating the upload worker thread (step 504) with the file already taken out of the queue and known to the upload worker thread.

At step 508, the upload worker thread creates an instance of a communications protocol client. This may be a client using HTTP, IAP, FTP, SMTP, NNTP, or any other protocol for allowing transmission of information and files over the internet and using a transport layer protocol such as TCP. This may use a command such as HTTP Client client = new HTTP Client, for example, or another command for starting a new client. At step 510, the upload worker thread attempts to transmit the file to the server 108. This attempt may use a command such as client.post(file), for example, or another command for sending the file. At decision block 512, it is determined whether there is any issue or instability with the connection to the server 108. The issue may result from a drop in connection between the encoder 106 and the server 108, slow connection speeds, or any other issue that interferes with transmittal of the file to the server. This may be an active check of the network status, or it may be passive. If it is a passive check, in some embodiments, the upload worker thread may simply stall until the connection is restored. In other embodiments, the upload worker thread may run a loop wherein multiple attempts are made to transmit the file, such as using a try/catch exception process wherein the upload status of the file is only verified if a network exception is not caught, and may also include a threshold wherein the loop will terminate upon a certain number of failed attempts. If it is determined that there is an issue with the connection to the server, the process moves back to step 510 to attempt to again transmit the file to the server 108. If at step 512 there is no issue with the connection to the server, the process 500 moves to step 514.

At step 514, an MD5 checksum is executed on the uploaded file to verify data integrity of the uploaded file. At decision block 516, it is determined whether the file passed the MD5 checksum. If the uploaded file did not pass the MD5 checksum, the process moves back to step 510 to again attempt to transmit the file to the server 108, replacing the failed file. If the uploaded file passes the MD5 checksum, the process moves to decision block 518. At decision block 518, it is determined whether the upload queue is now empty and whether the encoder is no longer encoding content to be added to the queue. If the upload queue is empty and the encoder is finished encoding, the process 500 ends at step 520, where the upload worker thread is terminated. If the upload queue is not empty, the process 500 moves back to step 506 to take the next file in the queue. In the event that the upload queue is empty, but the encoder is still encoding content, the upload worker thread may sleep for a small amount of time before checking the queue again to determine if a file is now available to be processed.

It will be understood that there may be more than one upload worker thread working at the same time. For example, in some embodiments, three upload worker threads may be allowed to run concurrently. One may be finishing its task while the other two are still attempting to upload files they pulled from the queue. The one finishing its task is terminated at step 520, while the other two upload worker threads continue to work.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , there is illustrated a flowchart of an upload worker thread process 600 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 602, an upload worker thread is initiated. At step 604, an upload worker thread takes the first file out of the upload queue. This may be done with a command such as file f - queue.take(), or any other command that accomplishes this task. At step 606, the upload worker thread creates an instance of a communications protocol client. This may be a client using HTTP, IAP, FTP, SMTP, NNTP, or any other protocol for allowing transmission of information and files over the internet and using a transport layer protocol such as TCP. This may use a command such as HTTP Client client - new HTTP Client, for example, or another command for starting a new client. At step 608, the upload worker thread attempts to transmit the file to the server 108. This attempt may use a command such as client.post(file), for example, or another command for posting the file. At decision block 610, it is determined whether there is any issue or instability with the connection to the server 108. The issue may result from a drop in connection between the encoder 106 and the server 108, slow connection speeds, or any other issue that interferes with transmittal of the file to the server. If at step 610 there is no issue with the connection to the server, the process 600 moves to step 612.

At step 612, an MD5 checksum is executed on the uploaded file to verify data integrity of the uploaded file. At decision block 614, it is determined whether the file passed the MD5 checksum. If the uploaded file did not pass the MD5 checksum, the process moves back to step 608 to again attempt to transmit the file to the server 108, replacing the failed file. If the uploaded file passes the MD5 checksum, the process moves to decision block 616. At decision block 616, it is determined whether the upload queue is now empty and whether the encoder is no longer encoding content to be added to the queue. If the upload queue is empty and the encoder is finished encoding, the process 600 ends at step 618, where the upload worker thread is terminated. If the upload queue is not empty, the process 600 moves back to step 604 to take the next file in the queue. In the event that the upload queue is empty, but the encoder is still encoding content, the upload worker thread may sleep for a small amount of time before checking the queue again to determine if a file is now available to be processed.

It will be understood that there may be more than one upload worker thread working at the same time. For example, in some embodiments, three upload worker threads may be allowed to run concurrently. One may be finishing its task while the other two are still attempting to upload files they pulled from the queue. The one finishing its task is terminated at step 618, while the other two upload worker threads continue to work.

If at decision block 610 it is determined that there is an issue with the connection to the server, the process moves to decision block 620. At decision block 620, it is determined whether a reattempt threshold has been reached. The reattempt threshold is a set number of failed upload attempts for the current upload worker thread. If the threshold has not yet been reached, the process moves back to step 608 to again attempt to transmit the file to the server 108. The reattempt threshold check may also occur after decision block 614 in response to a failed MD5 checksum. If the reattempt threshold has been reached, the process 600 moves to step 622. At step 622, the upload worker thread places the file back in a queue to be re-tried at a later time. In some embodiments, the queue that the file is placed into after the reattempt threshold is reached is the same queue that the file was originally taken at step 604.

In other embodiments, there may be a separate reattempt queue created to receive only files that were attempted to be uploaded, but failed and met the reattempt threshold. This separate reattempt threshold allows for a file that failed to be uploaded to be retried sooner than if the file is placed back into the original queue because, if placed back in the original queue, all other files already in the queue would have to be processed before reupload is attempted for the failed file. If placed into a reattempt queue, however, there may be parameters implemented for triggering an upload worker thread to attempt to upload the first file in the reattempt queue instead of processing the first file in the main queue. This trigger may be based on time, on the number of upload worker threads created and terminated since the failed file was added to the reattempt queue, the number of files uploaded from the main queue since the failed file was added to the reattempt queue, or other triggers. Thus, the reattempt queue helps to shorten the amount of time in which a particular segment file is missing from the server 108 in the event that an end user starts to stream the content from the server 108 before all the files have been uploaded.

From step 622, the process 600 moves to decision block 616. At decision block 616, it is determined whether the upload queue is now empty and whether the encoder is no longer encoding. If so, the process 600 ends at step 618. If the upload queue is not empty, the process 600 moves back to step 602 to initiate a new upload worker thread to process the next file in the queue.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , there is illustrated a digital content downloading and playback method 700 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 702, a decoder is started. The decoder may be an application permanently stored on a device, or may instead be implemented within a website and accessed via a web browser. The decoder may require a user to go through an authentication process in order to gain access to content. This authentication process may require a username and password, or any other means of authentication. Thus there may be a database configured at either the server 108 or at the encoder 106 to store authentication information in relation to stored digital content. In this way, only certain end users may have access to content provided by a particular capture site, and would not have access to content created by unaffiliated capture sites. The capture site 102 may be affiliated with the end users using the decoder. Thus, a single username and password may be used for the capture site 102 and associated end users. Alternatively, each end user may all share a unique username and password, or each may have its own unique username and password, separate from that used at the capture site 102. In this way, each of the end users associated with the capture site 102 may access content uploaded by the capture site 102.

At step 704, the decoder presents one or more video options selections available to be played. The video selections presented are either videos that have already been uploaded to the server 108, or are currently in the process of being uploaded to the server 108. The decoder may additionally present this information, and may also indicate how much of a video that is currently in the process of being uploaded has been saved to the server 108. At step 706, one of the video selections is chosen. At step 708, a buffer limit is selected. A buffer limit is the amount of the video to be downloaded ahead of time. So, for example, if a buffer limit of four minutes is selected, the decoder will download four minutes of the video. If playback is started, the decoder may continuously keep four minutes of video buffered ahead of the current point in the video being played. The buffer limit may be set to any length of time, up to the full length of the video (such as 60 minutes) on the server 108.

The decoder then saves downloaded segment files on a local drive, rather than in system memory, to allow for up to the entire video to be saved. The buffer limit allows end users to create an amount of time where, even if there is a network outage, the content will continue to be played. For example, if the buffer limit is set to 15 minutes, and that buffer limit is met (15 minutes of the content have been downloaded), the content will continue to play for 15 minutes even if there is a network outage, allowing for time for the network outage to be addressed before the content is unable to continue to be played.

At step 710, the decoder requests and downloads a manifest file for the chosen video selection and stores it on a local drive. At step 712, the decoder requests and downloads the next segment file listed in the manifest, starting with the first segment file, and stores it on the local drive. It will be understood that playback of the video may be started at any point after the first segment file is downloaded at step 712. Additionally, in the event that the content stored on the server is not yet complete, the downloaded manifest file may be outdated. In this event, the decoder may download an updated manifest from the server 108 to be able to find the next segment file needed. Alternatively, each segment file may include embedded lookahead information that contains the information needed to retrieve at least the next file in sequence, avoiding the need to download an updated manifest file. For example, in some embodiments, the lookahead information may contain information for the next two segment files, requiring that the next two segment files also are created before a segment file can be uploaded to the server 108. At decision block 714, it is determined whether the last segment file has been downloaded. If not, the process moves to decision block 716, where it is determined if the buffer limit has been reached by the download of the segment file in step 712. If the buffer limit has not been reached, the process moves back to step 712 to begin downloading the next segment file listed in the manifest. If the buffer limit has been reached, the process moves to step 718. At step 718, the decoder waits for playback of the current segment file being played to finish.

At step 720, the earliest segment file stored on the local drive is deleted to make room for the next segment file to be downloaded. The process then moves back to step 712 to download the next segment file listed in the manifest file. It will be understood that step 720 may not occur if it is desired that the full video remain stored. If the full video is to remain on stored, it allows for end users to back up or move forward in the content without the need to redownload segments to play previous content. It also allows for the full video to be saved and stored. This is also useful if the content is to be watched later, and if an audience is to view the content, then the content can be downloaded and stored in its entirety, avoiding any latency issues that may occur while downloading content during a time when the content is currently being played. It will also be understood that, upon download of all the segment files, the decoder may reassemble the segments into a single file so that end users may easily move and save the video file. If at decision block 714 it is determined that the last segment file has been downloaded, the process 700 ends at step 722.

The systems and methods described herein may be used to upload and store content on the server 108 ahead of time before end users need to consume content. The end users would then download content that is already fully saved on the server 108. In other scenarios, end users may want to begin playback of content as soon as possible to the start of the upload process at the capture site 102. In other scenarios, a capture site 102 may begin a live event where a speaker, for example, is being recorded. To ensure that end users do not experience waiting for buffer times when trying to watch close to real time, end users may set a delay in time before which they begin consuming the content. For example, the end users may decide to not begin consuming the content until 30 minutes after recording of the event has started at the capture site 102. In this scenario, as well as other scenarios, the end user may set a buffer time, as described with respect to FIG. 7 , to begin downloading the content as it is available on the server.

A live event may not necessarily be constrained to only mean that end users are watching the event occurring at the capture site in real time. Rather, the live event at the capture site is recorded as a live event, i.e., no multiple takes or stopping the recording of the event, and is simultaneously, using the processes described herein, made available to be streamed to the end users. There may be a delay when end users attempt to view the event as soon as it starts at the capture site, such as 30 seconds, but the event at the capture site is still considered live. As segments are created at the encoder 106, attempts are made to upload all the segments to the server 108 while the recording of the live event is still taking place. This is to ensure that segments are made available for download as soon as possible, instead of waiting for all content to be captured before attempting to make the content available for viewing. Additionally, the system is designed to ensure that all video content is provided as high-quality content by requiring that all segment files reach the server 108 as complete, high-quality, files regardless of network interruptions, rather than attempting to upload the files more quickly to meet demand by skipping segment files or degrading content. In some embodiments, a default delay time may be implemented on the decoder 112, such as a fifteen-second delay. Depending on the speed of the network and the speed of the uploading and downloading process, this delay may be altered, such as increasing it to 30 seconds, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, etc. This delay allows for content to be downloaded during the delay time, and played once the delay time is over.

Referring now to FIG. 8A, there is illustrated a diagrammatic view of a combined dual stream video encoding and output system 800 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 800 includes the capture site 102 and the encoder 106 connected to the server 108 over the network 110. The encoder 106 is connected to more than one capture device 104. The captures devices 104 are used to capture multiple scenes at the capture site 102. For example, in FIG. 8A, there is a first scene 802 and a second scene 804. In this example shown in FIG. 8A, the first scene 802 is of a speaker on a stage and the second scene 804 is a zoomed in close up of the speaker presented on a screen at the capture site 102. Each of the capture devices 104 is focused on one of the scenes 802 and 804. The capture device 104 that is focused on the second scene 804 is zoomed and focused on the images displayed in the screen, avoiding capturing the screen border.

The encoder 106, upon receiving the individual video streams, encodes/multiplexes the two streams into one image, or canvas. This results in a single image or video file 806 that includes both videos (of both the first and second scenes 802 and 804) in a combined image that is at a resolution that is twice the width, but the same height, as the original image. For instance, if the resolution of each of the streams captured by the capture devices 104 is 1920x1080, and is encoded/multiplexed onto the same canvas, the resulting image is at a resolution of 3840x1080. The file 806 is then uploaded to the server 108 according to the methods described herein. Only a single audio file may be created during this process, unless the captured scenes include different audio. However, in the present example, only the first scene 802 is generating audio.

Referring now to FIG. 8B, there is illustrated another diagrammatic view of the system 800 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. A decoder 112 downloads the previously-created file 806, containing the first and second scenes 802 and 804 combined in a 3840x1080 video. The decoder 112 breaks out each scene in the 3840x1080 video into separate 1920x1080 outputs, effectively cutting the width of the image in the file 806 in half. The separate outputs are each displayed on separate screens, with the video captured from first scene 802 displayed on a screen 808, and the video captured from the second scene 804 displayed on a screen 810. This ensures the scenes on each of the screens 808 and 810 are completely in sync, which may not be achieved by streaming the original captured streams separately as separate videos.

Referring now to FIG. 9A, there is illustrated a diagrammatic view of a combined dual stream video encoding and output system 900 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 900 includes the capture site 102 and the encoder 106 connected to the server 108 over the network 110. The encoder 106 is connected to more than one capture device 104. The captures devices 104 are used to capture multiple scenes at the capture site 102. For example, in FIG. 9A, there is a first scene 902 and a second scene 904. In this example shown in FIG. 9A, the first scene 902 is of a speaker on a stage and the second scene 904 is of a presentation, such as slides, accompanying the speaker’s presentation and presented on a screen. Each of the capture devices 104 is focused on one of the scenes 902 and 904. The capture device 104 that is focused on the second scene 904 is zoomed and focused on the images displayed in the screen, avoiding capturing the screen border.

The encoder 106, upon receiving the individual video streams, encodes/multiplexes the two streams into one image, or canvas. This results in a single image or video file 906 that includes both videos (of both the first and second scenes 902 and 904) in a combined image that is at a resolution that is twice the width, but the same height, as the original image. For instance, if the resolution of each of the streams captured by the capture devices 104 is 1920x1080, and is encoded/multiplexed onto the same canvas, the resulting image at a resolution of 3840x1080. The file 906 is then uploaded to the server 108 according to the methods described herein. Only a single audio file may be created during this process, unless the captured scenes include different audio. However, in the present example, only the first scene 902 is generating audio.

Referring now to FIG. 9B, there is illustrated another diagrammatic view of the system 900 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. A decoder 112 downloads the previously-created file 906, containing the first and second scenes 902 and 904 combined in a 3840x1080 video. The decoder 112 breaks out each scene in the 3840x1080 video into separate 1920x1080 outputs, effectively cutting the width of the image in the file 906 in half. The separate outputs are each displayed on separate screens, with the video captured from first scene 902 displayed on a screen 908, and the video captured from the second scene 904 displayed on a screen 910. This ensures the scenes on each of the screens 908 and 910 are completely in sync, which may not be achieved by streaming the original captured streams separately as separate videos.

Referring now to FIG. 10 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a combined dual stream video encoding and output method 1000 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. At step 1002, a first capture device captures a first scene while a second capture device captures a second scene. At step 1004, an encoder receives the captured first and second scenes from the first and second capture devices as separate streams. This may be accomplished by the encoder having multiple video inputs associated with multiple video capture cards. At step 1006, the encoder encodes the separate streams into a single video having a resolution that is twice the width of the original resolution of the separate streams. Thus, if the videos captured by the first and second capture devices are at a 1920x1080, the resulting resolution is 3840x1080, creating a video where each of the captured videos play side-by-side. In some embodiments, the frames may be synced by the encoder based on the timestamp of each frame of the videos. Thus, if for some reason the timestamps differ, such as one video starting at a slightly later timestamp, the two input streams may be passed through a filter to set both videos to the same zeroed-out timestamp.

At step 1008, the encoder transmits the newly created side-by-side video file to a server for storage and eventual download. At step 1010, a decoder downloads the file from the server. At step 1012, the decoder splits the video into separate outputs corresponding to each of the original captured streams for display on separate screens. The decoder accomplishes this by displaying the first 1920x1080 section of the side-by-side video file on one screen, and the second 1920x1080 section on the other screen. Thus, the two images on the separate screens will correspond to the originally captured videos of the two scenes at the capture site, while being completely in sync.

Referring now to FIG. 11 , there is illustrated a media stream transcoding system 1100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 1100 includes an encoder 1102 and a decoder 1104 in communication with the one or more servers 1106 over a network 1108. The one or more servers 1106 can be a single server accessed over the Internet, or may be a distributed system containing multiple servers designed to meet the load demand of a large number of end users. This distributed system may be a content delivery network (CDN) provided by a third-party with the resources and capacity to meet the demand, and media content can be stored in a distributed file system shared by the servers, with multiple copies of the media content in multiple data centers. The encoder 1102 transmits a media stream 1110 to the one or more servers 1106 as described herein, including performing data integrity checks to verify all content in the media stream 1110 is received by the one or more servers 1106. The contents of the media stream 1110 are stored on the one or more servers 1106 and include a manifest 1112, and at least one media segment 1114. It will be understood that that segments can be media containers that include a data stream of a particular format, such as video data, audio data, image data, or other data formats. The server further includes a transcoding module 1116 that includes a manifest processor 1118. The manifest processor 1118 can be a logical process carried out by the one or more servers 1106 and in some embodiments may be a threaded process. The manifest processor 1118 illustrated in FIG. 11 can be a single process including a plurality of threads, with multiple other manifest processors running concurrently with the manifest processor 1118. The plurality of manifest processor threads can, for example, include a thread to listen for new transcode requests, a thread to read in an input manifest and schedule segment transcodes, a thread to listen for transcode completion messages, and a thread to create a new manifest. The manifest processor 1118 receives transcoding requests from the one or more servers 1106. Multiple manifest processors 1118 can be running at a time, awaiting transcoding requests from the one or more servers 1106. If a manifest processor 1118 ceases reporting activity, another manifest processor 1118 can take its place to complete a transcode request. Transcoding requests can include various parameters and commands. For example, the transcoding request can include a command to transcode the contents of a particular media stream to a different resolution, transcode the contents to a different codec, such as from HEVC to H264, VP8, or other codec standards, crop frames in the video, resize a video such as reducing the length of the video, such as transcoding an hour of a two hour video to remove unnecessary content such as practice, sound checks, etc., or other commands or parameters. The transcoded segment can also be assigned a bitrate to define the bitrate at which the segment is to be streamed.

The manifest processor 1118 can have associated therewith at least one transcode worker process. A transcode worker process can be a threaded process wherein each transcode worker includes a plurality of transcode worker threads 1120. The plurality of transcode worker threads 1120 can, for example, include threads to listen for new segment transcode request messages. The threads can be configured to process several new segment transcode request messages at a time up to a preconfigured thread pool size. The transcode worker threads 1120 are scaled according to current CPU availability. As CPU resources diminish, transcode worker threads are terminated, whereas, as more CPU resources become available, additional transcode worker threads can be created to handle additional transcoding operations. When the manifest processor 1118 receives a transcode request, the manifest processor 1118 retrieves the manifest 1112 and parses the manifest to determine the locations of the segments 1114 associated with the manifest 1112. In some embodiments, the transcode request can include the manifest 1112 in the request. For each segment 1114 parsed from the manifest 1112, the manifest processor 1118 publishes a transcode request that is processed by a transcode worker thread 1120. For example, if there are three segments 1114 to be transcoded, the manifest processor 1118 generates three transcode requests, one for each segment 1114, and three transcode worker threads 1120 each handle one of the transcode requests.

Each transcode worker thread 1120 then retrieves a segment 1114. The transcode worker thread 1120 that retrieved the segment can then start a new transcode worker thread 1120 to perform transcoding of the segment according to the parameters of the transcode request, and wait for the new transcode worker thread 1120 to complete the transcoding process. For instance, if the transcode request includes a command to transcode each segment 1114 for a particular media stream 1110 to be 1280 × 720 pixels, each transcode worker thread 1120 will transcode a segment 1114 to be 1280 × 720. The original transcode worker thread that retrieved the segment will then edit media headers and upload the media. A transcoded media stream 1122 is thus created and stored on the one or more servers 1106 that includes a new manifest 1124 and one or more transcoded segments 1126. Each transcode worker thread 1120 stores a transcoded segment 1126 on the one or more servers 1106, which is a transcoded version of the segment 1114 retrieved by one of the transcode worker threads. The manifest processor 1118 creates the new manifest 1124 and stores it on the one or more servers 1106. The manifest processor 1118 can create the new manifest 1124 periodically during the transcode process as one or more segments are successfully transcoded, or in some embodiments can create the new manifest 1124 after all segments 1114 have been transcoded by the transcode worker threads 1120. The new manifest 1124 can then be downloaded by the decoder 1104 and used to retrieve the transcoded segments 1126 in order to view or playback the content of the media stream 1122. In some embodiments, the manifest processor 1118 can create a new manifest for streaming using a different standard than that used for the original segments before transcoding. For example, original segments stored on the server after a media capture and encoding session may be in a common media format such as MP4 format, and may be originally stored to be streamed via DASH streaming, with a DASH manifest. The manifest processor 1118 can create a new manifest to be used in locating the same common media format segments. For instance, the manifest processor 1118 can create an HLS playlist that includes information pertaining to each of the segments, so that both DASH and HLS streaming can be offered to decoders. The same segments using the same media container can be streamed whether the client is using the DASH manifest or the HLS playlist.

In some embodiments, the decoder 1104 can be set to play content on a delay from the capture, encoding, and transmission of the content from the encoder 1102 to the one or more servers 1106. For example, if a live event is taking place and being recorded, encoded, segmented, uploaded to the server, and transcoded during the event, a delay may be set to provide for an amount of time (five minutes, twenty minutes, one hour, etc.) before decoders are allowed to retrieve and play the content. It should be understood that the new manifest 1124 can also include the locations of the original segments 1114, and other transcoded versions or representations of the segments 1114 and 1126 as well, to enable compatible decoders to retrieve segments at different bitrates during a stream using a single manifest as bandwidth for the decoder increases and decreases.

Referring now to FIG. 12 , there is illustrated a transcoding request message sequence 1200 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The one or more servers 1106 can include a messaging service that enables members of the system such as manifest processors 1118, transcode workers threads 1120, and other applications and modules to communicate. The messaging service can provide multiple message queues that are each associated with a specified function, so that members of the system such as the manifest processors 1118 and the transcode worker threads 1120 can monitor the queues for new messages that can include requests or commands such as transcode requests. The server thus provides a messaging bus between the queues and system processes such as the manifest processors 1118 and the transcode worker threads 1120. It will be understood that the various queues, manifest processors, and transcode workers can operate on a single server, or can be distributed across multiple servers as needed.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , a transcode request queue 1202 is provided by the one or more servers 1106. The transcode request queue 1202 receives and holds initial transcode requests for processing by a manifest processor 1118. One or more manifest processors 1118 can be running and actively monitoring the transcode request queue 1202. When a request is placed in the transcode request queue 1202, a manifest processor 1118 detects the presence of a request in the transcode request queue 1202 and retrieves the request from the queue 1202 at step 1208. The manifest processor 1118 analyzes the request to determine what the request requires. For instance, the request may specify that a particular data stream is to be transcoded for other bitrates or resolutions, transcoded to a different codec standard, or other operations such as resizing or cropping. The manifest processor 1118 then retrieves and parses the appropriate manifest to determine the location of the media segments associated with the data stream.

As each location is determined, the manifest processor 1118, at a step 1210, places a segment transcode request in a segment transcode request queue 1204. One or more transcode worker threads 1120 can be active and monitoring the segment transcode request queue 1204 for any new segment transcode requests. A transcode worker thread 1120, upon detecting the presence of a request in the segment transcode request queue 1204, retrieves the request from the queue at a step 1212. A transcode worker thread 1120 then performs the request in accordance with the parameters of the request. Once the request is complete, such as when the transcoder worker thread 1120 has completed transcoding a segment and stored the segment on the one or more servers 1106, at a step 1214 a transcode worker thread 1120 places a segment transcode notification in a segment transcode notification queue 1206. Manifest processors 1118 can also monitor the segment transcode notification queue 1206 for any new notifications and retrieve a notification at a step 1216. In some embodiments, the segment transcode request queue 1204 and the segment transcode notification queue 1206 are unique to a particular media stream and can be created for that stream when a manifest processor 1118 receives a transcode request, such that, for a particular media stream, one manifest processor subscribes to the segment transcode notification queue 1206. These notifications indicate to the manifest processor 1118 that the transcode operation for a segment is complete. The notification can also include a unique identifier (UID) that is associated with a data stream, so that the manifest processor 1118 can determine to which data stream the segment belongs. The manifest processor 1118 that retrieves the notification from the segment transcode notification queue 1206 may or may not be the same manifest processor 1118 that processed the transcode request from the transcode request queue 1202.

Upon receipt of the notification from the segment transcode notification queue 1206, the manifest processor creates a new manifest that includes the location on the server(s) for the newly transcoded segment and stores the new manifest on the server, replacing any other previously created manifests for the data stream. In some embodiments, manifest processors 1118 wait for an interval of time between each check of the segment transcode notification queue 1206. During this interval of time, messages received and stored in the segment transcode notification queue 1206 are merged. Once the interval of time expires, the manifest processor 1118 retrieves a single merged notification that may refer to more than one transcoded segment. The manifest processor 1118 then creates a new manifest that includes the storage location of every newly transcoded segment. This time interval allows for more than one segment to be included in the new manifest at a time, so that a new manifest is not written after every transcoded segment is created, reducing the amount of resources used by the server.

The queues 1202, 1204, and 1206 disclosed herein in some embodiments are queues created and maintained by a messaging service on the one or more servers 1106. The messaging service allows for sending and receiving messages between applications and processes. The messaging service can send messages over one or more message busses. For example, the messages and requests sent at steps 1208, 1210, 1212, 1214, and 1216 can each be sent over a message bus between the manifest processor 1118, the transcode worker threads 1120, and the queues 1202, 1204, and 1206, allowing for processes to operate on distributed devices so that if one process fails, another can take the first process’ place, as described herein.

As described herein, the present disclosure provides for transcoding processes to be carried out during a live event. As such, the systems disclosed herein can be configured so that users view the content on a delay, to allow for time to transcode content, and to allow for time to reattempt transcode requests in the event of network issues, or if a manifest processor or a transcode worker fails. The system can be massively scaled in the cloud with active-active redundancy. Every threaded manifest processor and transcode worker can potentially work on any uploading stream at any time, such as any currently recording and uploading live event stream. If a manifest processor or transcode worker or thread dies, the remaining manifest processor, transcode worker, or associated threads can pick up where the dead one left off and absorb the additional workload. As the load increases, the number of processes and threads automatically increases, within allowance of available resources, to meet the demand.

Referring now to FIG. 13 , there is illustrated media content 1302 stored on the one or more servers 1106 that includes multiple adaptation sets and representations in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The media content 1302 includes a manifest 1304 and a plurality of media segments divided into separate adaptation sets and representations. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13 , there are two adaptation sets. Adaptation sets can include different components of a media stream. For example, one adaptation set may include audio segments for a stream while another adaptation set may include video segments. Separate adaptation sets can also be used for separating audio by language, with each language being in a separate adaptation set, while one common adaptation includes all video segments. Adaptation sets can also include other content such as subtitles or arbitrary metadata. In yet other examples, one adaptation set can include segments for one media stream where the video is at a particular angle, while another adaptation set includes segments for a media stream at a different angle. For example, if the media content 1302 includes video of a speaker on a stage with a visual aid on a screen elsewhere on the stage, one adaptation set can include video captured at an angle showing the speaker’s face, while the other adaptation set includes video captured at an angle showing the visual aid. This can allow for a user viewing the content to switch between angles during viewing.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 13 , there is stored on the one or more servers 1106 a first adaptation set 1306 and a second adaptation set 1308. The first adaptation set 1306 includes segments at various resolutions to accommodate variable bitrates. The first adaptation set 1306 includes a first representation 1310 at a resolution of 1920 × 1080, a second representation 1312 at a resolution of 1280 × 720, and a third representation 1314 at a resolution of 854 × 480. The second adaptation set 1308 similarly includes a first representation 1310 at a resolution of 1920 × 1080, a second representation 1312 at a resolution of 1280 × 720, and a third representation 1314 at a resolution of 854 × 480. The second adaptation set 1308 may however be a recording of an event at a different angle than that of the first representation. The manifest 1304 can include the locations of all the segments for each adaptation set and representation, allowing a decoder to use the manifest 1304 to retrieve different adaptation sets or different representations during a stream as needed by the client or as desired by the user. It should be understood that the adaptation sets and representations illustrated in FIG. 13 are but one example, and other adaptations and representations can be stored and streamed by the one or more servers 1106, such as representations that include different resolutions than those illustrated in FIG. 13 , and adaptation sets that include content other than video content.

Referring now to FIG. 14 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a transcoding process 1400 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 1400 begins at step 1402. At step 1402, the one or more servers 1106 publishes a transcode request including one or more parameters in the transcode request queue 1202. At step 1404, the manifest processor 1118 receives the transcode request from the transcode request queue 1202. In some embodiments, the manifest processor 1118 may actively monitor the transcode request queue and retrieves the transcode request from the queue when the manifest processor 1118 detects that the transcode request is present in the transcode request queue 1202. In other embodiments, the transcode request may be pushed to an available manifest processor 1118.

At step 1406, the manifest processor 1118 parses the manifest to determine a location a segment, such as a URL or server location. The segment is stored for a particular bitrate or at a particular resolution. At step 1408, the manifest processor 1118 publishes a segment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204. The segment transcode request is a request to transcode the segment that was located in step 1406 in accordance with the one or more parameters included in the transcode request received by the manifest processor 1118 in step 1404. For example, if the transcode request received by the manifest processor 1118 includes instructions to transcode the segments in the manifest from a resolution of 1920 × 1080 to 1280 × 720, the segment transcode request published in the segment transcode request queue 1204 at step 1408 includes a request to transcode the particular segment located in step 1406 using the manifest to 1280 × 720. The segment transcode request can also include the location of the segment located in step 1406 to allow for a transcode worker thread to retrieve the segment for transcoding.

At decision block 1410, if a transcode worker is available, the process flows to step 1412 where an available transcode worker retrieves the segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204. If at decision block 1410 a transcode worker is not available, the process loops until a transcode worker becomes available to process the segment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204. It will be understood that the manifest processor 1118, after publishing a segment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204, can continue to parse the manifest to locate a next segment to be transcoded, and publish another segment transcode request for the next segment in the segment transcode request queue 1204. As such, even if at decision block 1410 a transcode worker is not available to retrieve a segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue, the manifest processor 1118 can continue parsing the manifest and publishing additional segment transcode requests to the segment transcode request queue. The segment transcode requests can then be processed as transcode workers become available to process each request.

After the transcode worker retrieves the segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204 at step 1412, the process flows to step 1414. At step 1414, the transcode worker transcodes the segment that is the subject of the segment transcode request according to the one or more parameters. Once the segment is transcoded, at step 1416 the transcode worker stores the transcoded segment at a storage location, such as on the one or more servers 1106. The transcode worker also publishes a segment transcode notification in the segment transcode notification queue 1206, indicating that the segment transcode request is complete. At this point, the transcode worker that performed the transcoding process at step 1414 is free to retrieve another segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204.

At step 1418, the manifest processor 1118 receives the segment transcode notification from the segment transcode notification queue 1206, which notifies the manifest processor 1118 that the segment transcode request is complete. The manifest processor 1118 then creates a new manifest that includes the location of the transcoded segment, and stores the new manifest at a storage location, such as on the one or more servers 1106. In some embodiments, the new manifest includes locations of transcoded segments created as a result of the transcode request received by the manifest processor 1118 at step 1404. In some embodiments, the new manifest includes the locations of the transcoded segments, as well as the original segments, so that the new manifest can be used during a media stream to allow a decoder to request different representations of the media to account for bandwidth and bitrates.

Referring now to FIG. 15 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a transcode worker process 1500 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 1500 begins at step 1502. At step 1502, a first available transcode worker monitors the segment transcode request queue 1204. One or more transcode workers can be monitoring the queue at a time. In some embodiments, a priority system may be implemented so that multiple transcode workers do not attempt to retrieve a segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204 at the same time. At decision block 1504, the first available transcode worker determines if a segment transcode request is in the segment transcode request queue 1204. If not, the process 1500 moves back to step 1502 and the first available transcode worker continues to monitor the segment transcode request queue 1204. If so, the process 1500 moves to step 1506.

At step 1506 the first available transcode worker retrieves the segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204. At step 1508, the transcode worker retrieves a segment identified in the segment transcode request retrieved at step 1506. At step 1510, the transcode worker begins transcoding the segment. At decision block 1512, it is determined whether the transcode is complete. If not, at decision block 1514, the manifest processor 1118 can determine if the transcode worker that retrieved the segment transcode request at step 1506 is still alive or running. If so, the process 1500 moves back to decision block 1512 to determine if the transcoding is complete. In some embodiments, the manifest processor 1118 can record which segments identified in the manifest have been successfully transcoded. After publishing a segment transcode request, the manifest processor 1118 can periodically check whether the segment transcode request is complete, and, if not, if the transcode worker thread 1120 responsible for completing the transcoding process for the segment is still running.

If at decision block 1514 it is determined that the transcode worker is not running, the process 1500 moves to step 1516. At step 1516, the segment transcode request that was being handled by the transcode worker that has stopped running is returned to the segment transcode request queue 1204 so that another transcode worker can attempt to finish transcoding the segment. At step 1518, a next available transcode worker retrieves a segment transcode request from the segment transcode request queue 1204. In some embodiments, the failed segment transcode request is placed back in the end of the segment transcode request queue 1204, such that the next available transcode worker retrieves the next segment transcode request in the segment transcode request queue 1204, whether that request is the previously failed one or not. In other embodiments, the failed segment transcode request is placed at the front of the segment transcode request queue 1204, prioritizing the failed segment transcode request over other requests in the queue. In yet other embodiments, the failed segment transcode request is placed into a reattempt queue that is a separate queue from the segment transcode request queue 1204. The reattempt queue can be periodically checked by a transcode worker to reattempt a transcode process on a segment while other transcode workers process requests from the segment transcode requests queue 1204. In some embodiments, requests in the reattempt queue are not processed until a transcode worker detects that the segment transcode request queue 1204 is empty.

After the failed transcode request is returned to a queue at step 1516 and the next available transcode worker retrieves a segment transcode request from the queue, the process 1500 moves back to step 1508 where the next available transcode worker retrieves the segment to be transcoded. The process then moves again to step 1510 where the transcode worker begins transcoding the segment. If at decision block 1512 the transcode process is completed, the process 1500 moves to step 1520. At step 1520, the transcode worker stores the transcoded segment at a storage location, such as on the one or more servers 1106. At step 1522, the transcode worker publishes in the segment transcode notification queue 1206 a notification that transcoding of the segment is complete, which is used to notify the manifest processor 1118 that transcoding of the segment is complete and to prompt the manifest processor 1118 to create a new manifest that includes information pertaining to the transcoded segment.

Referring now to FIG. 16 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a segment transcode notification merging process 1600 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 1600 begins at step 1602 where a segment transcode notification queue time interval or rate limit starts. This time interval can be maintained by the manifest processor 1118 to coordinate when the manifest processor 1118 checks the segment transcode notification queue 1206. Since multiple transcode workers can be transcoding segments, storing transcoded segments, and publishing segment transcode notifications to the segment transcode notification queue 1206 at the same time, the time interval can be used so that the manifest processor 1118 is not retrieving just one segment transcode notification at a time and creating a new manifest for every notification. Rather, segment transcode notifications can be accumulated in the segment transcode notification queue 1206 during the time interval. Notifications accumulated during the time interval can be merged into one notification so that the manifest processor 1118 can create a new manifest that includes each transcoded segment in the merged notification, reducing the resources required than if the manifest processor 1118 created a new manifest every time a transcoded segment was completed.

During the time interval started at step 1602, the manifest processor 1118 does not attempt to check the segment transcode notification queue 1206. At step 1604, a segment transcode notification is received in the segment transcode notification queue and from a transcode worker, indicating that a segment has been transcoded. At step 1606, the segment transcode notification is merged with other segment transcode notifications in the queue. If the queue already contains a merged notification, the segment transcode notification is merged with the merged notification to create a new merged notification. At decision block 1608, the manifest processor 1118 determines if the timer interval started at step 1602 has expired. If not, the process 1600 moves back to step 1604. While the time interval is not expired, additional segment transcode notifications can be received by the segment transcode notification queue 1206 from transcode workers, repeating steps 1604 and 1606 to receive new notification and merge the new notifications into one merged notification.

If at decision block 1608 the time interval has expired, the process moves to step 1610. At step 1610, the manifest processor 1118 retrieves the merged notification from the segment transcode notification queue. At step 1612, the manifest processor 1118 creates a new manifest that includes the locations of all segments identified in the merged notification, and stores the new manifest at a storage location. In some embodiments, segment transcode notifications may not be merged, but the manifest processor 1118 can still retrieve every notification currently in the segment transcode notification queue 1206 and create a new manifest that includes information pertaining to the segments identified in the notifications. At decision block 1614, the manifest processor 1118 determines whether the last segment has been transcoded. If not, the process moves back to step 1602 where another time interval starts. If so, the process moves to step 1616. At step 1616, the manifest processor sends a notification of completion of the transcode request on the server, indicating that all segments associated with a media content has been transcoded in fulfillment of the transcode request originally received by the manifest processor 1118.

The systems, server architectures, and processes disclosed herein allow for flexible and scalable uploading, processing, transcoding, and transmission/streaming of content. Additional services can therefore be implemented that take advantage of the flexible and scalable nature of the disclosed systems, server architectures, and processes. For example, users may wish to download a media stream as a single multimedia or video file, such as an MP4, instead of streaming the content. This enables a user to store on the user’s system a multimedia file containing all or a portion of an adaptive media stream previously stored on one or more servers. In various embodiments disclosed herein, one or more servers can initialize scalable and redundant worker threads to handle file download requests from remote users. The worker threads simultaneously work to build and convert the multimedia file from the stored adaptive media stream, while only temporarily storing the multimedia file or portions of the multimedia file in cache memory during the multimedia file creation and transmission process. Portions of the multimedia file can be transmitted during the multimedia file creation and transmission process, such that the experience of the user requesting the multimedia file is that of a normal file download process. In other words, the user simply submits a file download request, such as in a web browser, and the user then sees the file download start, can watch the download progress and completion, and then open the file for playback. Once the multimedia file is transmitted, the server can then delete the multimedia file from cache memory so that the multimedia file does not occupy server disk space. This avoid taking up valuable disk space for the servers, as the required disk space for storing multimedia files for every requested file over time would become restrictive. In some embodiments, portions already transmitted during the multimedia file creation and transmission process can also be deleted from cache memory to free up cache memory to store subsequent portions of the multimedia file. The worker threads can also transcode, crop, or otherwise convert the media stream according to custom requests from users. As described in the various embodiments herein, the benefits of this service thus include providing on-demand multimedia files to users for uploaded and adaptive media streams that can be created and customized upon request by scalable and redundant server processes, while avoiding storage of large multimedia files on the servers.

Referring now to FIG. 17 , there is illustrated an example content conversion system 1700 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 1700 includes an encoder 1702 and an electronic device 1704, such as a mobile device or other computing device, in communication with the one or more servers 1706 over a network 1708. The one or more servers 1706 can be a single server accessed over the Internet, or may be a distributed system including multiple servers designed to meet the load demand of a large number of end users. This distributed system may be a CDN provided by a third-party with the resources and capacity to meet the demand, and media content can be stored in a distributed file system shared by the servers, with multiple copies of the media content in multiple data centers. The encoder 1702 transmits a media stream 1710 to the one or more servers 1706 as described herein, including performing data integrity checks to verify all content in the media stream 1710 is received by the one or more servers 1706. The contents of the media stream 1710 are stored in a storage 1716 of the one or more servers 1706 and include a manifest 1712, and at least one media segment 1714. It will be understood that that segments can be media containers that include a data stream of a particular format, such as video data, audio data, image data, or other data formats. The server further includes a worker manager 1718. In some embodiments, the worker manager 1718 can be the manifest processor 1118 described in this disclosure, and, in some embodiments, can be controlled by the transcoding module 1116. The worker manager 1718 can be a process including a plurality of threads, with multiple other worker managers running concurrently with the worker manager 1718. The plurality of worker manager threads can, for example, include a thread to listen for new multimedia file conversion requests, or new transcode requests, a thread to read in an input manifest and schedule segment conversion or transcodes, a thread to listen for conversion or transcode completion messages, and a thread to create a new manifest.

One or more message handlers 1720, executed by the servers 1706, can receive requests from the device 1704 for a multimedia file or container that includes at least a portion of the media stream 1710. In some embodiments, the servers 1706 can be in a publish-subscribe configuration such that requests received by the message handler 1720 can be published to subscribing receivers, such as the worker manager 1718. In some embodiments, the message handler 1720 and the worker manager 1718 can be executed by different servers. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the request for the multimedia file can be a request to receive a single file or container in a specific format that includes the requested portion of the media stream 1710, rather than receiving the contents of the media stream 1710 as streaming content. For example, the request for the multimedia file can be an HTTP GET request sent via a browser of the device 1704 to the servers 1706, which is received by the message handler 1720. Sending the request as an HTTP GET request enables the browser of the device 1704 to expect to receive a single multimedia file, similar to a typical file download from a server. The servers 1706 then convert and combine the requested contents of the media stream 1710 into a single multimedia file or container for download by the browser of the device 1704. Therefore, although the servers 1706 perform this conversion process on the requested contents of the media stream, the device 1704 is not privy to the conversion process, and simply requests to download a file, and then receives the file normally. Upon downloading the full file, the device 1704 can then playback the contents of the media stream 1710 from the downloaded multimedia file. According to the various embodiments of this disclosure, the media stream 1710 stored in the storage 1716 can be in various streaming formats, such as Flash, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, MPEG DASH, HLS, or other streaming formats. According to the various embodiments of this disclosure, the request for the multimedia file can request the multimedia file in various container formats using various video codecs, such as MPEG-4 (MP4), such as encoded using Advanced Video Coding (AVC or H.264) or High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC or H.265), Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), WINDOWS Media Video (WMV), Flash Video (FLV), Audio Video Interleave (AVI), QuickTime File Format (QT or MOV), Material Exchange Format (MXF), General Exchange Format (GXF), or other formats.

Multiple worker managers 1718 can be running at a time, awaiting transcoding requests from the one or more servers 1706. In some embodiments, a worker manager 1718 may not be initialized until a request is received. If a worker manager 1718 ceases reporting activity, another worker manager 1718 can take its place to complete a request. Requests received by the message handler 1720 from the device 1704 can include various parameters and commands. For example, in addition to requesting a multimedia file in a specific video format, requests can include a command to transcode the contents of a particular media stream to a different resolution, transcode the contents to a different codec, such as from HEVC to H.264, VP8, or other codec standards, crop frames in the video, resize a video such as reducing the length of the video or requesting only a portion of a video, such as requesting a multimedia file including just one hour of a media stream where the media stream includes two hours of total content, or requesting a multimedia file that includes a specific range, such as starting at 30 minutes into the media stream and ending at the one hour marker, or other commands or parameters. For example, if the request for the multimedia file includes a request to transcode the file to a different resolution or a different codec, each segment 1714 of the media stream 1710 can be transcoded and then combined together into the multimedia file for download by the device 1704. In some embodiments, a multimedia file request can request a plurality of versions of the multimedia file, such as more than one version or adaptation set at different resolutions and/or cropped differently, and the device 1704 can download each version of the contents as separate multimedia files.

To facilitate efficient creation of a multimedia file, the worker manager 1718 can have associated therewith at least one conversion worker process. A conversion worker process can be a threaded process that includes one or more conversion worker threads 1722. The plurality of conversion worker threads 1722 can, for example, include threads to listen for new request messages. In some embodiments, the worker manager 1718 can initialize the one or more conversion worker threads 1722 in response to a received request. The threads can be configured to process several new request messages at a time, up to a preconfigured thread pool size. In some embodiments, the conversion worker threads 1722 are scaled according to current CPU availability. As CPU resources diminish, workers can be terminated, whereas, as more CPU resources become available, additional transcode worker threads can be created to handle additional operations. When the worker manager 1718 receives a request with request parameters from the message handler 1720, the worker manager 1718 can retrieve the manifest 1712 for the requested content and parse the manifest 1712 to determine the locations of the segments 1714 associated with the manifest 1712. In some embodiments, for each segment 1714 parsed from the manifest 1712, the worker manager 1718 publishes a conversion request that is processed by a conversion worker thread 1722. For example, if there are three segments 1714 to be converted into the multimedia file, the worker manager 1718 generates three conversion requests, one for each segment 1714, and three worker threads 1722 each handle one of the requests.

Each conversion worker thread 1722 then retrieves a segment 1714 and performs one or more parameters of the conversion request, such as transcoding the segment 1714, cropping the segment 1714, or other requested functions. In some embodiments, the conversion worker thread 1722 that retrieved the segment 1714 can start a new conversion worker thread 1722 to perform one or more of the parameters, and wait for the new conversion worker thread 1722 to complete the process for the parameter. For instance, if the parameters includes a command to transcode each segment 1714 to be 1280 × 720 pixels, a separate conversion worker thread 1722 can transcode the segment 1714 to be at 1280 × 720. The original conversion worker thread 1722 that retrieved the segment 1714 can then edit the media headers appropriately and concatenate the segment 1714 with other segments processed by other conversion worker threads 1722 into a multimedia file 1724 that can be downloaded by the device 1704. In some embodiments, a particular conversion worker thread 1722 can create the initial multimedia file 1724 and then that particular conversion worker thread 1722 can either receive segments 1714 processed by other conversion worker threads 1722 and concatenate the processed segments into the multimedia file 1724, or the other conversion worker threads 1722 can access the multimedia file created by that particular conversion worker thread 1722 to concatenate the segments into the multimedia file 1724. Processes such as transcoding, cropping, and concatenating content can thus be parallelized by the conversion worker threads 1722 to efficiently create the multimedia file 1724. In some embodiments, a single conversion worker thread 1722 can retrieve the segment 1714, perform any parameters such as transcoding or cropping, and then concatenate the segment 1714 into the multimedia file 1724. Various operations can also be performed on the multimedia file 1724 to enable playback by the device 1704 once downloaded, as described in the various embodiments of this disclosure. In some embodiments, and as further described in this disclosure, various functions can be included for allowing the device 1704 to resume download of the multimedia file if the connection between the device 1704 and the servers 1706 goes down, or if content requested by the device 1704 is still being uploaded by the encoder 1702 to the servers 1706. In various embodiments of this disclosure, the multimedia file is not stored on the server, but is created upon request by caching the files to be used to create the multimedia file and temporarily caching the multimedia file. The servers transmit the multimedia file to the device 1704 and delete the cached files so that the servers do not have to permanently store the multimedia file on disk. In some embodiments, transmission of the multimedia file can begin soon after the multimedia file request is received by transmitting portions of the multimedia file as those portions are completed during the multimedia file creation process.

Referring now to FIG. 18 , there is illustrated a multimedia file conversion process 1800 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that, although this disclosure refers in some instances to one or more servers as performing the process 1800, the process can be carried out by the manifest processors, worker managers, and any of the worker threads described in the present disclosure and can be executed by a processor such as described in FIG. 23 . While shown as a series of steps, various steps of the process 1800 can overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occur any number of times.

At block 1802, at least one server receives content segments from an encoder and stores the content segments on the servers. At block 1804, the server receives a request for a multimedia file including at least a portion of content stored on the server. In some embodiments, the request is received by the message handler 1720. At block 1806, the server, such as via the worker manager 1718, initializes one or more conversion workers to handle the request, such as the conversion worker threads 1722. At block 1808, a conversion worker retrieves a content segment stored by the servers. At block 1810, the conversion worker concatenates the retrieved segment into a multimedia file. In some embodiments, an initial multimedia container can be created by one of the conversion workers, or can be created by a conversion worker that retrieves the first segment. As each segment is processed and concatenated, the conversion workers process and edit the metadata or atoms of the multimedia file, such that the multimedia file and/or segments are recognized as being of a specific file type, or otherwise editing the atoms of the multimedia file or segments to alter, add, or remove atoms that are used or not used to playback the content by the device that sent the request at block 1802. At block 1812, the server transmits or makes available for download to the requesting device the segment data for the segment. Conversion workers can work in parallel to process segments and concatenate the segments into the multimedia container, and can perform non-blocking writes of processed segments to the requesting device while still processing other segments. Thus, it will be understood that multiple conversion workers can perform blocks 1808 to 1812 until all segments associated with the conversion request are processed and concatenated into the multimedia file. In some embodiments, the conversion workers can access the manifest file to determine a next segment to retrieve. In some embodiments, other entities such as the worker manager 1718 or the manifest processor 1118 can access the manifest file and keep track of which segments have been processed based on the conversion workers assigned to handle each segment, and based on a notification from each conversion worker that finishes its task. In some embodiments, if a conversion worker is detected as failing, such as if the conversion worker stops operating or if a timeout occurs in which no notification from the conversion worker is received, a new conversion worker can be assigned the task of processing the segment of the failed conversion worker.

At decision block 1814, the server determines whether all content segments for the requested multimedia file have been processed. For example, if the request for a multimedia received at block 1802 requested the entire contents of a media stream, at decision block 1814, the server determines if all segments for that media steam have been concatenated into the multimedia file. If a portion of the media stream is requested, such as if the request indicates that a specific time range of the content is to be converted, at decision block 1814, the server determines if all segments for the specific time range have been concatenated into the multimedia file. If, at decision block 1814, the server determines that all segments have not been processed, the process 1800 loops back to block 1808 until the conversion workers have processed all segments for the requested content. If, at decision block 1814, the server determines that all segments have been processed, the process 1800 moves to block 1816. At block 1816, the server finalizes the multimedia container being downloaded. Block 1816 may be carried out by one of the conversion workers, or other entities such as the worker manager 1718 or the manifest processor 1118. Finalizing the container for download can include performing additional editing of the metadata or atoms of the multimedia file, such as generating a movie fragment random access (mfra) atom in the container. At block 1818, the server continues transmitting the multimedia container to the requesting device until the entire requesting media stream is provided to the requesting device. In some embodiments, the download process starts as soon as the multimedia file is requested. Metadata for the multimedia file can be edited or created, and the metadata can be transmitted followed by each segment as each segment is processed and concatenated to the multimedia file. The user requesting the multimedia file therefore simply sees that a download starts soon after the user requests the multimedia file. As the multimedia file is being created and transmitted, the multimedia file may only be stored temporarily in cache memory. Once the entire multimedia file is transmitted to the user, the multimedia file is deleted from the cache memory. The above allows for the multimedia file to be transmitted quickly to the user and avoids the multimedia file from being stored on the servers and occupying server disk space. The process 1800 ends at block 1820.

Referring now to FIG. 19 , there is illustrated a multimedia file conversion with parameters process 1900 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that, although this disclosure refers in some instances to one or more servers as performing the process 1900, the process can be carried out by the manifest processors, worker managers, and any of the worker threads described in the present disclosure and can be executed by a processor such as described in FIG. 23 . In various embodiments of the present disclosure, multimedia file requests can include one or more additional parameters for tailoring the content to the requester’s needs. For example, in addition to requesting a multimedia file in a specific video format, requests can include parameters or commands to transcode the contents of a particular media stream to a different resolution, transcode the contents to a different codec, such as from HEVC to H.264, VP8, or other codec standards, crop frames in the video, resize a video such as reducing the length of the video or requesting only a portion of a video, such as requesting a multimedia file including just one hour of a media stream where the media stream includes two hours of total content, or requesting a multimedia file that includes a specific range, such as starting at 30 minutes into the media stream and ending at the one hour marker, or other commands or parameters.

At block 1902, at least one server analyzes a request for a multimedia file and one or more request parameters received from a requesting device. In some embodiments, the request is received by the message handler 1720. At block 1904, the server, such as via the worker manager 1718, initializes one or more conversion workers to handle the request and the request parameters, such as the conversion worker threads 1722. At decision block 1906, the server determines if one or more conversion workers are available to handle a next content segment. If not, the process 1900 loops back to decision block 1906 until a worker is available. At block 1908, each available conversion worker retrieves a content segment stored by the servers. At block 1910, each conversion worker applies at least one of the request parameters to the content segment. At block 1912, each conversion worker concatenates the retrieved segment into a multimedia file. For example, if the multimedia file request included a parameter that the content should be at a certain resolution or bitrate, at block 1910, each conversion worker can transcode the segment to the specified resolution or bitrate, and then that same conversion worker, or another conversion worker in some embodiments, can concatenate the segment with other segments in the multimedia file. If multiple parameters are to be applied, such as transcoding to a different resolution, transcoding the segment to be H.264 instead of HEVC, and cropping the content, a conversion worker can perform each parameter at block 1910 and then concatenate the segment into the multimedia filed at block 1912, or, in some embodiments, different workers can apply each parameter before a worker concatenates the segment into the multimedia file. In some embodiments, an initial multimedia container can be created by one of the conversion workers, or can be created by a conversion worker that retrieves the first segment. As each segment is processed and concatenated, the conversion workers process and edit the metadata or atoms of the multimedia file and the server transmits or makes available for download to the requesting device the segment data for the segment. Conversion workers can work in parallel to process segments and concatenate the segments into the multimedia container, and can perform non-blocking writes of processed segments to the requesting device while still processing other segments. Thus, it will be understood that multiple conversion workers can perform blocks 1908-1912 until all segments associated with the conversion request are processed and concatenated into the multimedia file. In some embodiments, the conversion workers can access the manifest file to determine a next segment to retrieve. In some embodiments, other entities such as the worker manager 1718 or the manifest processor 1118 can access the manifest file and keep track of which segments have been processed based on the conversion workers assigned to handle each segment, and based on a notification from each conversion worker that finishes its task. In some embodiments, if a conversion worker is detected as failing, such as if the conversion worker stops operating or if a timeout occurs in which no notification from the conversion worker is received, a new conversion worker can be assigned the task of processing the segment of the failed conversion worker.

At decision block 1914, the server determines whether all content segments for the requested multimedia file have been processed. For example, if the request for a multimedia file requested the entire contents of a media stream, at decision block 1914, the server determines if all segments for that media steam have been concatenated into the multimedia file. If a portion of the media stream is requested, such as if the request indicates that a specific time range of the content is to be converted, at decision block 1914, the server determines if all segments for the specific time range have been concatenated into the multimedia file. If, at decision block 1914, the server determines that all segments have not been processed, the process 1900 loops back to decision block 1906 until the conversion workers have processed all segments for the requested content. If, at decision block 1914, the server determines that all segments have been processed, the process 1900 moves to block 1916. At block 1916, the server finalizes the multimedia container for download. Block 1916 may be carried out by one of the conversion workers, or other entities such as the worker manager 1718 or the manifest processor 1118. Finalizing the container for download can include performing additional editing of the metadata or atoms of the multimedia file, such as generating a movie fragment random access (mfra) atom in the container.

At decision block 1918, the server determines if additional versions of the content are requested. For example, the multimedia file request received by the server can include a request for a plurality of versions of the content each at different resolutions, using different codec formats, such as HEVC or H.264, different cropping, different content lengths, or other parameters. If no additional versions are requested, the process 1900 moves to block 1920. If, at decision block 1918, the server determines different versions are requested, the process 1900 loops back to block 1904 to create an additional multimedia file for another requested version. It will be understood that, although decision block 1918 is illustrated after block 1916 in the process 1900, the various multimedia file versions can be created in parallel using available conversion workers. In some embodiments, transcoded versions of the segments may already be stored on the server, and thus the conversion workers can retrieve the versions requested without transcoding the segments before concatenation. At block 1920, the server continues transmitting the multimedia containers for each version to the requesting device. In some embodiments, the multimedia files can be packaged together for download, such as in a compressed file format, such as a ZIP file. The different versions of the multimedia file can be transmitted in parallel while the multimedia files are still under construction. For example, once a multimedia file is created and while segments are being concatenated into the multimedia file, data portions of the multimedia file that are complete such as metadata or already-concatenated segments can be transmitted, and the additional segments and other portions of the multimedia file can be transmitted as they are completed. In some embodiments, the requesting device, such as via a browser application, awaits receipt of all data for a multimedia file before finalizing the multimedia file and allowing playback. The process 1900 ends at block 1922.

Referring now to FIGS. 20A-20D, there are illustrated diagrammatic views of a multimedia file creation and conversion process 2000 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that, although this disclosure refers in some instances to one or more servers as performing the process 2000, the process can be carried out by the manifest processors, worker managers, and any of the worker threads described in the present disclosure and can be executed by a processor such as described in FIG. 23 . For purposes of example, the process 2000 illustrates the creation of an MP4 file, but other file types can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. When a server receives a request for the creation and transmission of a multimedia file for download, the server, using the conversion workers, builds the multimedia file such that it includes the components used for playback of the multimedia file. As shown in FIG. 20A, in this example, and in various embodiments, the streaming content stored on the server includes one initialization (init) file per track, one init file for video and one init file for audio, that includes various metadata for the content. In the process 2000, the server, using the conversion workers, retrieves or creates a video track init file 2002 and an audio track init file 2004.

Both the video track init file 2002 and the audio track init file 2004 can include a File Type Header (ftyp) 2006 and Movie Metadata (moov) 2008 that includes various other metadata and atoms, such as an Initial Object Descriptor (iods) atom, a Movie Header (mvhd) 2010, and a Movie Extends (mvex) atom 2014. The mvex atom 2014 can include a Movie Extends Header (mehd) atom and one or more Track Extends (trex) atoms. The video track init file 2002 includes a video Track (trak) atom 2012. The audio track init file 2004 includes an audio Track (trak) atom 2013. As illustrated in FIG. 20A, the trak atoms 2012, 2013 include a Track Header (tkhd) atom and a Media (mdia) atom 2016. The mdia atom 2016 of each of the video track init file 2002 and the audio track init file 2004 includes various additional atoms pertaining to the video and audio tracks that will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, the mdia atoms 2016 can include a Media Header (mdhd) atom, a Handler Reference (hdlr) atom, and a Media Information (minf) atom that can include a Video Media Information Header (vmhd) for the video track init file 2002 or a Sound Media Information Header (smhd) for the audio track init file 2004, a data information (dinf) atom that includes a Data Reference (dref) atom, and a Sample Table (stbl) atom. The stbl atom can include a Sample Description (stsd) atom, a Time-to-Sample (stts) atom, a Sample-to-Chunk (stsc) atom, a Sample Size (stsz) atom, and/or a Chunk Offset (stco) atom. It will be understood that certain atoms illustrated in FIG. 20A may or may not be present in the video track init file 2002 and/or the audio track init file 2004, or other atoms not illustrated may be included.

Upon retrieval of each of the video track init file 2002 and the audio track init file 2004, the server, such as via one or more of the conversion workers, combines the video track init file 2002 and the audio track init file 2004 into a combined init file 2020. The combined init file 2020 includes an edited ftyp 2022 and an edited moov atom 2024. The ftyp 2022 is edited to include the compatible brands defining use of the multimedia file. For example, in some embodiments, the ftyp 2022 can be edited so that it includes the following:

-   MajorBrand “isom” -   MinorVersion 512 -   compatibleBrands “isom”, “iso2”, “avc1”, “iso6”, “mp41”

It will be understood that the ftyp 2022 can be edited as needed based on the type of multimedia file requested by the requesting device. The edited moov atom 2024 includes both the video trak atom 2012 and the audio track atom 2013, with the mehd atom removed from the mvex atom 2014, the edts atom (not shown) removed from the trak atoms 2012, 2013, and the sgpd (not shown) atom removed from the stbl atom. The combined init file 2020 thus provides the metadata for the multimedia file and a base to begin concatenating segments into the multimedia file. As shown in FIG. 20B, video and audio segments can then be combined before concatenating the combined segment into the created combined init file 2020. The server, via the conversion workers, retrieves an associated video segment 2026 and audio segment 2028. The video segment and audio segment each include a Segment Type (styp) atom 2029, a Segment Index (sidx) atom 2030 that identifies the segment, such as by giving its earliest presentation time, how the segment is further divided into sub-segments, random access point locations (byte offset), and timing in the segment payload. The video segment and audio segment each further include a Movie Fragment (moof) atom 2032. The moof atom 2032 includes a Movie Fragment Header (mfhd) 2034 and a Track Fragment (traf) atom 2036 (video), 2037 (audio). The traf atoms 2036, 2037 can include various other data and atoms such as a Track Fragment Header (tfhd), a Track Fragment Decode Time (tfdt) atom, a Track Fragment Run (trun) atom, and a Sample to Group (sbgp) atom. Each of the video segment 2026 and the audio segment 2028 also includes Media Data (mdat) 2040 that includes the media data for the segment.

Upon retrieving the video segment 2026 and the audio segment 2028, the server combines the video segment 2026 and the audio segment 2028 to create a combined segment 2042. The combined segment 2042 includes an edited moof atom 2044, and a combined mdat 2046. The edited moof atom 2044 includes the mfhd atom 2034 and the video traf 2036 and audio traf 2037. While combining the video segment 2026 and the audio segment 2028, the server removes the styp atom 2029 and the sidx atom 2030 from the video segment 2026 and the audio segment 2028. The combined mdat 2046 includes the combined data from both the mdat 2040 of the video segment 2026 and the mdat 2040 of the audio segment 2028. The combined segment 2042 thus includes various data used for playing back the video and audio of the particular segment of content.

As illustrated in FIG. 20C, the combined segment 2042 is added to the combined init file 2020 to begin assembling the requested multimedia file 2050. As illustrated in FIG. 20D, an additional combined segment file 2052, created by combining another associated video and audio segment of the requested content, is concatenated into the multimedia file 2050. The steps of FIGS. 20A-20C are repeated until all segments for the requested content are concatenated into the multimedia file 2050, such that the multimedia file 2050 includes a plurality of segments. Once all segments have been concatenated into the multimedia file 2050, the server calculates the duration of all the segments, and the number of segments. The server then writes a Movie Fragment Random Access (mfra) atom 2054 to the multimedia file 2050 that includes a Track Fragment Random Access (tfra) atom 2056 and a Movie Fragment Random Access Offset (mfro) atom 2058. The mfra atom 2054 provides information to be used by the requesting device to seek through content during playback. The various embodiments of the present disclosure thus provide that, in response to a request such as an HTTP GET request from a requesting device, one or more servers assemble the multimedia container 2050 from a media stream stored on the one or more servers, and the one or more servers transmit the multimedia file 2050 to the requesting device such that the requesting device receives the multimedia file 2050 as a single file that can be played back by the requesting device.

Referring now to FIG. 21 , there is illustrated a flowchart of a multimedia file creation and conversion process 2100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that, although this disclosure refers in some instances to one or more servers as performing the process 2100, the process can be carried out by the manifest processors, worker managers, and any of the worker threads described in the present disclosure and can be executed by a processor such as described in FIG. 23 . For purposes of example, the process 2100 illustrates the creation of an MP4 file, but other file types can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. At block 2102, at least one server receives a request for the creation and transmission of a multimedia file for download using at least a portion of content stored on the server. The request may request all content stored for a media stream to be included in a multimedia file, or a portion of content, such as a specified runtime, such as one hour of a six hour media stream. At block 2104, the server initializes one or more conversion workers. In some embodiments, the workers can already be created, and the workers listen for new conversion requests. When a request for a multimedia container is received, the server, using the conversion workers, builds the multimedia file such that it includes the components used for playback of the multimedia file. At block 2106, one or more conversion workers retrieve one initialization (init) file per track, one init file for video and one init file for audio, that includes various metadata for the content.

Both the video track init file and the audio track init file can include various data, boxes, or atoms, as also described with respect to FIGS. 20A-20D, such as a ftyp atom and a moov atom that includes various other metadata and atoms, such as an iods atom, a mvhd, and a mvex atom. The mvex atom can include a mehd atom and one or more trex atoms. The video track init file can include a video trak atom and the audio track init file can includes an audio trak atom. The video and audio trak atoms can include a tkhd atom and a mdia atom. The mdia atom of each of the video track init file and the audio track init file includes various additional atoms pertaining to the video and audio tracks that will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, the mdia atoms of each of the video track init file and the audio track init file can include a mdhd atom, a hdlr atom, and a minf atom that can include a vmhd atom for the video track init file or a smhd atom for the audio track init file. The mnif atom within the mdia atom can also include a data information dinf atom that includes a dref atom, and a stbl atom. The stbl atom can include a stsd atom, a stts atom, a stsc atom, a stsz atom, and/or a stco atom. It will be understood that certain atoms may or may not be present in the video track init file and/or the audio track init file, or other atoms not described herein may be included.

At block 2108, upon retrieval of each of the video track init file and the audio track init file, the server, such as via one or more of the conversion workers, combines the video track init file and the audio track init file into a combined init file. The combined init file includes a moov atom that includes both the video trak atom from the video track init file and the audio trak atom from the audio track init file. At block 2110, the moov atom of the combined init file is edited to remove the mehd atom. At block 2112, the ftyp header of the combined init file is edited to include the compatible brands that can use the multimedia file. For example, in some embodiments, the ftyp can be edited so that it includes the following:

-   MajorBrand “isom” -   MinorVersion 512 -   compatibleBrands “isom”, “iso2”, “avc1”, “iso6”, “mp41”

It will be understood that the ftyp can be edited as needed based on the type of multimedia file requested by the requesting device. The combined init file 2020 thus provides the metadata for the multimedia file and a base to begin concatenating segments into the multimedia file. It will be understood that the editing performed at blocks 2110 and 2112 can occur during the combining of the video track init file and the audio track init file at block 2108. At block 2114, the server, via the conversion workers, retrieves an associated video segment and audio segment from the stored media stream. The video segment and audio segment each include a styp atom, and a sidx atom that identifies the segment, such as by giving its earliest presentation time, how the segment is further divided into sub-segments, random access point locations (byte offset) and timing in the segment payload. The video segment and audio segment each can further include a moof atom. The moof atom of each of the video and audio segments can include an mfhd atom and a traf atom. The traf atoms of each of the video and audio segments can include various other data and atoms such as a tfhd atom, a tfdt atom, a trun atom, and a sbgp atom. Each of the video segment and the audio segment can also include the media data stored in an mdat atom.

At block 2116, the server, via the conversion workers, edits the video and audio segments by removing the styp and the sidx atoms from each of the video and audio segments. At block 2118, the server, via the conversion workers, combines the video segment and the audio segment to create a combined segment. The combined segment can include a moof atom that includes the mfhd atom and both the video traf atom and the audio traf atom, and a combined mdat atom that includes the media data from both the original video segment and the original audio segment. It will be understood that the editing performed at block 2116 can occur during the combining of the video segment and the audio segment at block 2118. As the combined mdat of the combined segment created at blocks 2114-2118 includes the combined data from both the mdat of the video segment and the mdat of the audio segment, the combined segment thus includes the data used for playing back the video and audio of the particular segment of content.

At block 2120, the combined segment created at blocks 2114-2118 is added to the combined init file created at blocks 2106-2112 to begin assembling the multimedia file requested at block 2102. At decision block 2122, the server determines whether all content segments for the requested multimedia file have been processed. For example, if the request for the multimedia file requested the entire contents of a media stream, at decision block 2122, the server determines if all segments for that media steam have been concatenated into the multimedia file. If a portion of the media stream is requested, such as if the request indicates that a specific time range of the content is to be converted, at decision block 2122, the server determines if all segments for the specific time range have been concatenated into the multimedia file.

If, at decision block 2122, the server determines that all segments have not been processed, the process 2100 loops back to block 2114 until the conversion workers have processed all segments for the requested content. If, at decision block 2122, the server determines that all segments have been processed, the process 2100 moves to block 2124. At block 2124, the server begins finalizing the multimedia container for download. At block 2124, the server calculates the duration of all the segments, and/or the number of segments, in the multimedia file created at blocks 2106-2122. At block 2126, the server writes an mfra atom to the multimedia file that includes a tfra atom and an mfro atom. The mfra atom provides information to be used by the requesting device to seek through the content during playback. Blocks 2124 and 2126 can be carried out by one of the conversion workers, or other entities such as the worker manager 1718 or the manifest processor 1118.

At block 2128, the server transmits the multimedia container to the requesting device. In some embodiments, multiple versions of the media stream stored on the server can be requested as separate multimedia files for each version, and each version can be transmitted upon completion of the multimedia file, or, in some embodiments, all versions can be created before transmitting each multimedia file to the requesting device. In some embodiments, the multimedia files can be packaged together for download, such as in a compressed file format, such as a ZIP file. In some embodiments, the multimedia files can begin to be transmitted while the multimedia files are still under construction. For example, once a multimedia file is created and while segments are being concatenated into the multimedia file, data portions of the multimedia file that are complete such as metadata or already-concatenated segments can be transmitted, and the additional segments and other portions of the multimedia file can be transmitted as they are completed. The process 2100 ends at block 2130.

The various embodiments of the present disclosure thus provide that, in response to a request such as an HTTP GET request from a requesting device, one or more servers assemble the multimedia container from a media stream stored on the one or more servers, and the one or more servers transmit the multimedia file to the requesting device such that the requesting device receives the multimedia file as a single file that can be played back by the requesting device. The requesting device is unaware of the conversion process performed by the server, and simply requests a multimedia file and downloads the multimedia file as the requesting device would download any other single file. Additionally, in various embodiments, the servers do not have to store the multimedia file on disk, but can use cache memory to temporarily store multimedia files or segment files during the multimedia container creation process, and then delete any cached data once the multimedia container(s) are transmitted to the requesting device. It will be understood that during the process 2100, other processes based on request parameters can be performed as described in this disclosure. For example, in addition to requesting a multimedia file in a specific video format, requests can include a command to transcode the contents of a particular media stream to a different resolution, transcode the contents to a different codec, such as from HEVC to H264, VP8, or other codec standards, crop frames in the video, or performing other processes, commands, or parameters.

Referring now to FIG. 22 , there is illustrated a content request process 2200 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a device requesting a multimedia container from a server can request a portion of a media stream. It will be understood that, although this disclosure refers to one or more servers as performing the process 2200, the process can be carried out by the manifest processors, worker managers, and any of the worker threads described in the present disclosure and can be executed by a processor such as described in FIG. 23 . At block 2202, at least one server receives a request for a multimedia file for a portion of a content or media stream. For example, the request can request the full content stream, or include an indication of a time frame of the media stream to request, such as starting thirty minutes in the media stream and ending at one hour of content. It will be understood that any portion of the media stream can be requested in this manner.

At block 2204, the server determines a first content segment and a last content segment for the requested portion of a content stream based on the size and/or duration of the stored segments for the content stream. For example, if the request indicates that the portion starts at thirty minutes into the media stream, and the segments are each six seconds in length, the server can determine that the requested portion starts with the 300th segment. In some embodiments, the segments can be of differing sizes, and the server can calculate the starting segment by analyzing the size of the stored segments, such as by retrieving and reviewing the latest manifest file stored on the server in association with the content stream. In some embodiments, if the beginning or end of the requested portion happens to fall within a segment, that is, a segment includes some time outside of the requested time frame, the server can remove the extra content from the segment. In some embodiments, if the request asks for a portion of a content stream that is not yet uploaded, such as if an encoder is currently receiving content, encoding the content, and uploading the content as described in the various embodiments of this disclosure, the server can wait for a manifest file update on the server indicating that additional content has been received before attempting to retrieve content segments.

Once the server determines that at least a first content segment of the requested content portion has been uploaded and stored on the server, at block 2206, the server retrieves a content segment of the requested portion of the content stream, such as the first content segment determined in block 2204. At block 2208, the server concatenates the content segment retrieved at block 2204 with a multimedia file, as described in the various embodiments of this disclosure. At decision block 2210, the server determines whether all content segments for the requested portion have been retrieved and concatenated into the multimedia file. If, at decision block 2210, the server determines that all the content segments for the requested portion have not yet been retrieved and concatenated into the multimedia file, the process 2200 moves to decision block 2212. At decision block 2212, the server determines if the next segment of the requested content portion is currently uploaded and stored on the server. For example, the requested portion of the media stream can be a portion of a stream that is currently being uploaded and stored on a server, such as if the media stream is a recording of a live event that is being uploaded and stored on the server as the live event is occurring. Therefore, in some cases, not all content segments for the requested portion of the media stream may be currently uploaded and stored, but it may be expected by the server that additional content will be provided for the media stream.

If, at decision block 2212, the server determines that the next segment is uploaded, the process 2200 loops back to block 2206 to retrieve the next segment. If, at decision block 2212, the server determines that the next segment is not yet uploaded, at block 2214, the server waits for a manifest file update on the server indicating that additional content has been uploaded. The server then reviews the manifest file to determine if the next segment of the requested portion of the content is stored on the server. The process 2200 then loops back to block 2206 to retrieve the next segment. The server repeats blocks 2206-2214 until all content segments have been retrieved and concatenated into the multimedia container. It will be understood that other processes such as transcoding operations, creation of multiple versions, retrieving init files, editing of metadata or atoms, and any other processes described in this disclosure can be performed as part of the creation of the multimedia file.

If, at decision block 2210, the server determines that all segments for the requested content portion have been combined into the multimedia file, the process 2200 moves to block 2216. At block 2216, the server transmits the multimedia container, or multiple containers if multiple content versions are created. At decision block 2218, the server determines whether or not the connection between the server and the requesting device is maintained or if the connection fails during the transmission of the one or more multimedia files. For example, the requesting device or server may experience an Internet or power outage, or bandwidth issues, that disrupt the connection between the requesting device and the server. If the connection is disrupted, the process 2200 moves to block 2220. At block 2220, the server waits for the connection to be reestablished. Once the connection is reestablished, the server can determine at which portion of the content stream to resume transmission, such as by determining the size of partly downloaded multimedia container, and based on the segment sizes of the segments of the requested portion of the media stream.

For example, if the requesting device has downloaded 100 megabytes of the multimedia file, the server can retrieve the file size for each segment, and any start-of-file metadata, and determine which segment in the multimedia file to resume the transmission. As another example, the server can determine the time markers for the already downloaded or transmitted multimedia container, and begin retransmission of content based on the time duration of the segments. In some embodiments, a timeout can occur after a threshold amount of time if the connection is not reestablished. The process 2200 moves from block 2220 back to block 2216 to continue transmitting the multimedia container. If, at decision block 2218, the server determines the connection between the server and the requesting device is maintained and the full multimedia file is transmitted, the process ends at block 2222.

Referring now to FIG. 23 , an electronic device 2300 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 2300 is one example of a portion or all of the encoder 106, the server 108, and/or the decoder 112 of FIG. 1 , as well as potentially other clients, servers, encoders, and decoders described in FIG. 1 and in other embodiments. The device 2300 can also be an example of a portion of all of the encoder 1102, the decoder 1104, and/or the server(s) 1106 of FIG. 11 , as well as potentially other clients, servers, encoders, and decoders described in FIG. 11 and in other embodiments. The device 2300 can also be an example of a portion of all of the encoder 1702, the device 1704, and/or the server(s) 1706 of FIG. 17 , as well as potentially other clients, servers, encoders, and decoders described in FIG. 17 and in other embodiments. The system 2300 includes a controller (e.g., a processor/central processing unit (“CPU”)) 2302, a memory unit 2304, an input/output (“I/O”) device 2306, and at least one network interface 2308. The device 2300 includes at least one network interface 2308, or network interface controllers (NICs). In embodiments that include more than one network interface 2308, the additional network interfaces 2308 allow for a different network service provider to be switched to in the event of a network issue. For instance, if one network interface 2308 is connected to the Internet via a connection provided by a first Internet service provider, and that connection encounters an issue or fails, another network interface 2308 that is connected via a connection provided by a second Internet service provider may take over. The device 2300 further includes at least one capture card 2310 for capturing media, such as video or audio data. The device 2300 also includes a storage drive 2312 used for storing content captured by the at least one capture card 2310. The components 2302, 2304, 2306, 2308, 2310, and 2312 are interconnected by a data transport system (e.g., a bus) 2314. A power supply unit (PSU) 2316 provides power to components of the system 2300 via a power transport system 2318 (shown with data transport system 2314, although the power and data transport systems may be separate).

It is understood that the system 2300 may be differently configured and that each of the listed components may actually represent several different components. For example, the CPU 2302 may actually represent a multi-processor or a distributed processing system; the memory unit 2304 may include different levels of cache memory, and main memory; the I/O device 2306 may include monitors, keyboards, and the like; the at least one network interface 2308 may include one or more network cards providing one or more wired and/or wireless connections to a network 2320; and the storage drive 2312 may include hard disks and remote storage locations. Therefore, a wide range of flexibility is anticipated in the configuration of the system 2300, which may range from a single physical platform configured primarily for a single user or autonomous operation to a distributed multi-user platform such as a cloud computing system.

The system 2300 may use any operating system (or multiple operating systems), including various versions of operating systems provided by Microsoft (such as WINDOWS), Apple (such as Mac OS X), UNIX, and LINUX, and may include operating systems specifically developed for handheld devices (e.g., iOS, Android, Blackberry, and/or Windows Phone), personal computers, servers, and other computing platforms depending on the use of the system 2300. The operating system, as well as other instructions (e.g., for telecommunications and/or other functions provided by the device 2300), may be stored in the memory unit 2304 and executed by the processor 2302. For example, if the system 2300 is the device 2300, the memory unit 2304 may include instructions for performing some or all of the steps, process, and methods described herein.

The network 2320 may be a single network or may represent multiple networks, including networks of different types, whether wireless or wired. For example, the device 2300 may be coupled to external devices via a network that includes a cellular link coupled to a data packet network, or may be coupled via a data packet link such as a wide local area network (WLAN) coupled to a data packet network or a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Accordingly, many different network types and configurations may be used to couple the device 2300 with external devices.

In some embodiments, various functions described in this patent document are implemented or supported by a computer program that is formed from computer readable program code and that is embodied in a computer readable medium. The phrase “computer readable program code” includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable storage device.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer code (including source code, object code, or executable code). The term “communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompasses both direct and indirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

The description in the present application should not be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential or critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims. Moreover, none of the claims invokes 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) with respect to any of the appended claims or claim elements unless the exact words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim, followed by a participle phrase identifying a function. Use of terms such as (but not limited to) “mechanism,” “module,” “device,” “unit,” “component,” “element,” “member,” “apparatus,” “machine,” “system,” “processor,” “interface,” or “controller” within a claim is understood and intended to refer to structures known to those skilled in the relevant art, as further modified or enhanced by the features of the claims themselves, and is not intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: accessing, by one or more processors, a media segment included in a requested portion of a media stream; concatenating, by the one or more processors, the media segment into a media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream; and by the one or more processors and based on a determination that the requested portion of the media stream is included in the media file, providing the media file to a device that requested the portion of the media stream.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the accessing of the media segment included in the requested portion of the media stream is performed by a first executing thread among a plurality of executing threads; and the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream is performed by the first executing thread among the plurality of executing threads.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream; and wherein: the providing of the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream fulfills the request to obtain the requested portion of the media stream.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream at a requested resolution; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the requested resolution.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream at a requested bitrate; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the requested bitrate.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream, the request specifying a cropping parameter; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the cropping parameter specified by the received request.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream, the request specifying a resizing parameter; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the resizing parameter specified by the received request.
 8. A system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor among the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations comprising: accessing a media segment included in a requested portion of a media stream; concatenating the media segment into a media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream; and based on a determination that the requested portion of the media stream is included in the media file, providing the media file to a device that requested the portion of the media stream.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein: the accessing of the media segment included in the requested portion of the media stream is performed by a first executing thread among a plurality of executing threads; and the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream is performed by the first executing thread among the plurality of executing threads.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream; and wherein: the providing of the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream fulfills the request to obtain the requested portion of the media stream.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream at a requested resolution; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the requested resolution.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream at a requested bitrate; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the requested bitrate.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream, the request specifying a cropping parameter; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the cropping parameter specified by the received request.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream, the request specifying a resizing parameter; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the resizing parameter specified by the received request.
 15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: accessing a media segment included in a requested portion of a media stream; concatenating the media segment into a media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream; and based on a determination that the requested portion of the media stream is included in the media file, providing the media file to a device that requested the portion of the media stream.
 16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein: the accessing of the media segment included in the requested portion of the media stream is performed by a first executing thread among a plurality of executing threads; and the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream is performed by the first executing thread among the plurality of executing threads.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream; and wherein: the providing of the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream fulfills the request to obtain the requested portion of the media stream.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream at a requested resolution; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the requested resolution.
 19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream at a requested bitrate; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the requested bitrate.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request from the device to obtain the requested portion of the media stream, the request specifying a resizing parameter; and wherein: the concatenating of the media segment into the media file that corresponds to the requested portion of the media stream includes transcoding the media segment based on the resizing parameter specified by the received request. 